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Promotional art for America Is the Greatest Country in the United States
Cover image credit: via TMDB

America Is the Greatest Country in the United States

Judah Friedlander

Netflix · 2017 · 84 min

Deadpan political crowd work in a New York basement.

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Most stand-up specials filmed for major streaming services are slick, highly-choreographed events captured in grand, cavernous theaters. Judah Friedlander takes the opposite route here, setting up in the low-ceilinged, cramped rooms of New York’s Comedy Cellar to shoot an intimate, black-and-white set built almost entirely on crowd interaction. Armed with his signature “World Champion” persona and a trucker hat, Friedlander treats the audience not as a passive crowd to lecture, but as sparring partners in a mock-presidential campaign.

Released on Netflix in late October 2017, the 84-minute special was compiled from multiple performances recorded across several nights in Greenwich Village (including the Fat Black Pussycat and the Village Underground). At this point in his career, Friedlander was best known as the silent, bizarre hat-wearing writer Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock, but this special marked his first feature-length comedy film and a deliberate shift in his stage persona. Instead of boasting about his absurd physical prowess and karate skills, he directs his deadpan style toward American exceptionalism, global politics, and the absurdities of daily life—presenting himself as a write-in candidate ready to solve the world’s problems through sheer arrogance.

Friedlander’s primary tactic is to pick out international tourists in the audience and systematically demonstrate why their home nations are inferior to the United States. When a Canadian points out that their flag only features red and white, Friedlander counters that the American flag has red, white, and blue (just like Cuba and North Korea) to prove it is flawless. He handles topics like healthcare, climate change, and drone strikes with a mock-bureaucratic logic, arguing that drones are actually bad because they take delivery jobs away from hard-working carrier pigeons.

Critics praised the special’s low-budget, DIY aesthetic for capturing the actual, unpolished energy of a late-night New York comedy club, contrasting it with the over-produced arena specials dominating the streaming landscape.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Movie screenplay about a vengeful piñata

    Argues that piñatas are female ('piñata, not piñato') and have endured centuries of parental-encouraged child abuse, seeking violent revenge.

  2. Term limits for citizens

    Proposes that neighbors should have to re-elect each other into continued existence every four years to encourage basic decency.

  3. Mocking the phrase 'love wins'

    Critiques political complacency by noting that if Bernie Sanders represented 'love', then love did not even make the finals.

  4. Twisting statistics to prove America is number one

    Recontextualizes mass incarceration as generous government-funded food and housing, and claims the absence of Olive Gardens in Italy proves Italian restaurants there are inferior.

  5. Audience Q&A on presidential trade policy

    When asked by an audience member about his platform on trade, immediately quips that he would trade the audience member for a different one.

How it plays

Tone
Deadpan, irreverent, witty, satirical, and politically charged.
On stage
The self-proclaimed 'World Champion', deadpan, unkempt with trademark trucker hat and oversized glasses, delivering bombastic claims and satirical one-ups while balancing irony and sincerity.
Pace
Gravelly-voiced, measured, deadpan pacing reminiscent of classic one-liner delivery, creating an intimate, living-room atmosphere in a dark club setting.
About
American exceptionalism, Racism and mass incarceration, Healthcare and human rights, Donald Trump and political activism, Climate change and fascism

What the critics said

Lauded for subverting typical stand-up special conventions with its intimate black-and-white visual style, relentless crowd work, and incisive, non-preachy critique of American exceptionalism.

In the room: Intimate, low-ceilinged New York club room featuring international attendees participating in sharp, off-the-cuff satirical banter.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, vulture.com, bleedingcool.com, decider.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Filmed across clubs before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, addressing Donald Trump, American exceptionalism, and societal apathy, informed by Friedlander touring abroad and gaining critical perspective on U.S. culture.

Details

Released
Taped
Comedy Cellar, New York
Runtime
84 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Judah Friedlander
Topics

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