AMERICAN DREAMZ.

That's dreamz with a 'z' -- as we are told in the movie's title song, also the theme for the fictional "American Idol"-esque reality series that serves as American Dreamz's focal point. Paul Weitz's new film is hopefully the closing entry in a trilogy of increasingly disappointing American-state-of-the-union-satire (V for Vendetta, Thank You for Smoking). On paper, the President-presiding-over-American-Idol plot should be comedic gold; biting, mean-spirited fun. Instead, we get a rather unfunny America-as-a-sitcom (enough with the hyphens already!) where the jokes fall flat and every opportunity is missed. Sadly, Dreamz makes all of the right moves with its characters and story: the not-so-bright president decides to read a newspaper, a reluctant showtune loving terrorist becomes a reality talent show contestant, and a hateful, smarmy English host conduscts the proceedings with more sway than the US President, rigging the finale of said TV show to include the least talented, most ethnically diverse contestants. So, why is the movie as edgy as the entire run of "Everybody Loves Raymond"? Weitz plays it too kind, but most of all the primary players are miscast. Mandy Moore as the manipulative, marginally-talented, Midwestern bitch of a candidate is a smart casting choice. Unlike her terrific turn in Saved! Moore comes off as completely harmless. Her Machiavallian actions here are loathsome, but Moore can't sell it and still comes across as an American sweetheart. Likewise for the career rebounding Dennis Quaid, whose solid, nuanced turn in Weitz's otherwise bland In Good Company furthered his welcomed return, but as a Dubya-carbon copy he feels stifled. He tries to be as likable as possible in a role better suited for a character actor who can play subtle, satirical elements over broad, dumb charm (see Dan Hedaya's Richard Nixon in Dick). Weitz, working without his brother behind the camera for the second time, has made funny comedies before like American Pie and About a Boy but seems to have forgotten to include humor here. Perhaps Jason Reitman could have script-polished a draft, peppering it some of his sharp dialogue from Thank You for Smoking to give this thing some flavor. American Dreamz has plenty to say about our celebrity obsessed, politically dumb culture, but forgets to get its hands dirty. By playing it too clean, Weitz missteps as he did with the lame In Good Company. Worst of all, he took a premise that could have been a Dr. Strangelove and turns it into Dr. Doolittle.