Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W Bush (2009) (TV)

Director:

Marty Callner

Writer:

Will Ferrell (written by)

Release Date:

14 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Ask not what your country can do for you but what have I done to your country?

Plot Keywords:

George W. Bush | U.S. President

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	George W. Bush
Michael Delaney	...	Dr. Scott Blumeth
Pia Glenn	...	Condoleezza Rice
Adam Mucci	...	Pilot
Patrick Ferrell	...	Jerry - Secret Service Agent

Runtime:

UK:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Cort Theatre, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Funny Business Productions

Trivia:

Common is clearly seen sitting in the audience behind the audience member nicknamed "Jacques Cousteau."

Quotes:

[first lines]
George W. Bush: That was weird. When the pilots of Marine One said they were going to drop me off in New York City, I thought they were joking. I said, "Sure. Y'know, while you're at it, why don't you drop me off in the faggy Theater District?" And guess what, they did...

Movie Connections:

References W. (2008/I)

Soundtrack:

Hail to the Chief

people either like it or not, I liked it. It's the right decision ever (actual quote)

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.