You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush

Going through the history of George W. Bush, both as a man and as the 43rd President, is like dissecting a living, breathing train wreck that has a goofy look on its face like the train gave someone a wedgie before it went chuckling off the rails. Whatever your political views are, it's hard not to see Bush's flaws to one degree or another, and at the same time his status as a cultural icon (yes, icon, sad to say it's kind of true). So, Will Ferrell took a hold of that and did a one-man show as Bush going through his own history. One might see that it's just a long-form version of one of his SNL skits as Bush addressing the nation, but it also has that quality of the retrospective; this is Will Ferrell doing his own riff on that play (later Altman film) Secret Honor where Richard Nixon sat with a tape recorder going over his paranoid history as president.

For Bush, history will judge him rightly (or rightfully?), but for Ferrell it's a chance to blend history with rumor and just downright surreal exaggeration, always for comic effect. Sometimes it doesn't totally work (I grew tired of the secret service guy dancing on stage; the lighting guys have a ball but it doesn't strike up the same amount of laughs as the star), but for the most part Ferrell and his writers have a blast with actual quotes from Bush, or just pictures of people from his cabinet (I busted a gut over his line about Richard Pearl being like a "Cuddly bear"), or just going completely off the wall about things like the rumored monkeys from Morocco for Iraq to detonate land mines. It is almost too much at times, but it's never less than amusing and at times it's some of the funniest material from Ferrell in years.

Now, there will be some who may grow tired of the shtick faster than others; it's not a total laugh-a-second venture like with Ferrel's movies at their very best. There's even a few moments where there's an ironic seriousness, something about the whole show that is sobering to what the past 8 years have been like. For most fans it should be a treat, and maybe it will bring some non-fans over as well. It's crazy and smart satire with more hits than misses.

Will Ferrell is just an amazing actor. To take 8 years of American history on his shoulders in such a funny, awkward, shocking, detailed, eyes-opened, over-the-top, superb, state-of-the-art way is just a great pleasure to watch and a relief that the real life of Mr. Bush as a president is finally over. We just loved to watch Will doing George W. As a German viewer it increased my trust in America. I could not believe my eyes and ears that something like Will Ferrell did here would be ever possibly in USA. It is the second time the past years that my respect for America is back in order. The first time it hit me in a positive way that USA voted for a president (finally) who is black and open minded, and now for a second time Will Ferrell made it possible to understand and digest the live and times of the former president. After I have seen this show my hope for USA is full of best wishes and trust in the future. You're back on track....

I am not a big Will Ferrell fan. I cannot think of a single movie he has made that I enjoyed. That said, I have to admit that he totally personified George W. Bush in this performance. I couldn't even see Ferrell. All I saw throughout was W.

His excellent performance notwithstanding, the show itself was not particularly funny. There is nothing funny about George W. Bush. The pain that he has caused first in Texas, and then on the whole country is no laughing matter. I really tried to find something to laugh at, but I sat there like a deer caught in the headlights the entire time.

Trying to make us laugh at W. is like trying to make us laugh at cancer.

After what I thought was a rather slow start, Will Ferrell picked up steam in this largely one-man stage play about the life and times and presidency of George W. Bush - the 43rd, former but not too lamented president of the United States. It's sometimes crude (the penis thing was overdone), sometimes bewildering (I never really understood the reference to the time in Vermont with the guy whose name I forget) and some things went on too long (the "wipe that smirk off your face" gag near that weak start - yeah, it was part of the show, and the "giving audience members nicknames" became very tired very fast.) In spite of those weaknesses, though - and unless you're a rabid fan of Bush - this is pretty funny stuff. It really hits its stride once Bush is elected and the review of his presidency begins. There are some truly hilarious moments - the Condi Rice scene was great, as well as some of the Dick Cheney reflections - and even a more or less serious moment, when Ferrell's Bush reflects on those who've died as a result of the war in Iraq. There are a lot of just plain humorous and yet historical anecdotes (like reflections on the "coalition of the willing" - Morocco's offer to send trained monkeys to Iraq and the Solomon Islands joining - in spite of the fact that they have no army - as well as the whole anti-France "freedom fries" silliness.)

Ferrell's performance was pretty good. He had the Bush swagger down pat ("in Texas we call this walking!") and he looked and sounded the part pretty well, the voice leading to a humorous moment questioning why no one else in the entire Bush family has a Texas accent! Even if you are a Bush fan, watch it for what it is - poking fun at a guy who even conservatives would have to admit was a pretty controversial president. 8/10

Even though I've watched this more than 6 years after it came out, the solid writing and the well-timed comedic touches still felt as fresh. I assumed Mr. Ferrell had a team of writers contribute to the show while viewing it, but it turns out he has adopted the character so closely that the writing was all his. And he runs through it without a hitch in a well-choreographed, well-directed, and extremely well-acted play.

You're likely to enjoy it even when you don't usually like his movies. This is not a self-celebratory liberal bashing of George W. Bush at all. You may even sympathize with the guy for being put in a place that turned out to be more demanding than he possibly expected. Definitely worth checking it out...