You're Welcome America

Last year, critics complained that Oliver Stone's rather wonderful George Bush biopic, W., didn't mock the disgraced president nearly as much as it should have. The haters should have just waited a few months for Will Ferrell to chime in with his final word on Bush. You're Welcome America is a one-man-show written by and starring Will Ferrell (along with a little uncredited help from Adam McKay, his writing partner in crime on Anchorman and Step Brothers) that was a sensation on Broadway before popping up on HBO. The show is every bit as irreverent and hilarious as we've come to expect from Ferrell at his best, while also proving to be a surprisingly smart and appropriate attack on the stupidest man to ever set foot in the oval office. It says a lot about how inept Bush was as a president that Ferrell was able to fill a full 90-minute show mocking his time in office without ever repeating material. Everything from Bush's time in Texas to his relationship with the members of his cabinet (including a hilariously sexual dance with Condoleezza Rice) is explored with side-splitting results. The show is not deep satire, but more of a collection of silly laughs at the expense of Bush's stupidity and failings as a president. However, it is at least more intelligent and carefully written than an extended SNL skit. It might not be a groundbreaking piece of theatre, but it is an excellent piece of entertainment poking fun at a ludicrous leader who gets what he deserves. The You're Welcome America DVD features the full HBO broadcast, plus a handful of humorous extras. Will Ferrell co-stars with himself in a thoroughly bizarre, but undeniably hilarious, feature where George Bush interviews himself (no words can describe it, you just have to see it). A promotional documentary about the show is also included, featuring a handful of interesting behind-the-scenes titbits, but is essentially little more than an extended advertisement.