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.

It is really hard for me to judge this movie because it is politically charged, historically educational, and a rather scattered collection of lewd and extreme segments, all at once. The first two thirds were excellent and I laughed really hard and often. Much of what Farrel says about G.W. is both shocking and true, so there is some really valuable recent history delivered in a very entertaining way. No small feat. Some of the information was even shocking to learn and I had to look it up and always found that he was correct. I haven't looked up everything but I would bet that nearly everything he says that wasn't obviously a joke is completely true. The movie is very valuable for anyone who doesn't know much about G.W. or misremembers or just plain forgot.

Even though the first two thirds has some really hilarious parts, it is shot through with some serious material which I did not mind. The performance takes an abrupt and very serious turn for the final third. I was OK with that too but was sad that most of the laughs were gone. Still, I thought the latter material dragged on far too long. So if you don't watch the whole thing that is perfectly OK. Just know that the wrap-up and interaction with the audience at the end is precious.

You will either love this movie or love to hate it, so either way you win!

First of all I'm not an admirer of #43, President George W. Bush. Nor am I a fan of Will Ferrell, and probably never will be. This HBO special is tasteless, lewd, crude and a barrel of laughs. Ferrell of course lampooned Bush on Saturday Night Live and now has taken it to the stage. Mispronounced words and all the malapropisms along with the schoolboy bully stances and mannerisms are here. Sometimes seeming pointless, Ferrell uses all the ammunition W. gave the nation to find disappointment in. I found the vulgar language and manners a hoot. It actually gives you the feeling you are spending a night with the bitter Texas politician. I have yet to find much to laugh at in Ferrell's juvenile movies, but I did find this project funny. Maybe its just me. The visit does seem a bit too long and redundant. Ferrell's brother Patrick plays a Secret Service agent always standing by and Pia Glenn spoofs Condoleezza Rice.