The financial tycoons depicted in "Ugly Americans" were once dubbed Masters of the Universe, but they emerge here as hedonistic clowns. Their story is something like "Animal House" meets "Bonfire of the Vanities," with adolescent frat boys prowling Japan for babes, booze and big bucks.
Sadly, it never really probes beneath the surface or beyond hoary stereotypes.
Drawing on interviews with these rainmakers about their experiences, Ben Mezrich tells a "true story" that portrays them as brash and pathetic bores obsessed with money. This is a world where the size of deals, profits, bonuses and the number of trophy girls and glitzy sports cars are all that count.