Review: 'Citizen USA: A 50 state road trip' a Yankee Doodle Dandy

By April MacIntyre Jul 4, 2011, 15:24 GMT

HBO airs Alexandra Pelosi\'s new documentary film, "Citizen USA: A 50 State Road Trip" tonight, a labor of love inspired by her own husband\'s journey to citizenship, as she sets out on a road trip across America to record and witness naturalization ceremonies in all 50 states.

Timing is everything, and filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary is a perfect capper to a day of festivities celebrating this great, big diverse country.

The fine point: You don't miss your water until your well runs dry. People all over the world live hampered, restricted and even miserable lives, and we who were lucky to be born here in the USA forget or may not even realize how good we have it.

Especially for gays, minorities, women and those who wish to express their dissent or displeasure with the government.

HBO airs Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary film, "Citizen USA: A 50 State Road Trip" tonight, a labor of love inspired by her own husband's journey to citizenship, as she sets out on a road trip across America to record and witness naturalization ceremonies in all 50 states.

Emmy-award winning documentarian Pelosi interviews America's newest citizens to find out: Why America? And what makes this country so remarkable to them that they would relinquish their birth country.

Alexandra Pelosi (daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi), gives us all a poignant and sweet love letter to the red, white and blue as the feelings evoked from this special had me shed a tear or two. Not in a hokey manipulative way, but in that special moment captured on film in real reality TV that shows a person truly grateful, emotional and ready to be the best citizen they can be. The stories and reasons for the pursuit of citizenship are all touching, funny, fascinating and inspirational.

"Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip" starts with Pelosi's personal story, her Dutch-born husband made the decision to go from green card to citizen after the birth of their first child.

Her husband's naturalization profoundly changed him, and so the idea was struck, why not go to every State to record and find out if this was an exception or the norm. Pelosi interviewed and recorded a slice of the estimated 1 million people who become American citizens each year.

The prevalent question was, "What do you like best about America?"

The answers were striking and revealing, from a gay man delighting people here can kiss and walk hand in hand, any races, gender preferences and not be harassed by society or police. Afghanistani men who also appreciated the women, and the freedom to flirt and hold hands without "getting our asses kicked."

A Thai woman who can call 911, "and somebody comes to rescue you." One delightful man from Albania who is astounded by the choices in food. More stories come, praising clean water, customer service, choices, and mostly opportunity and freedom.

Freedom to dissent, to argue, complain, create their own businesses and grouse without someone knocking on your door and hauling you off.

Opportunity to achieve anything, in a meritocracy that rewards hard work and respects the effort over a birthright, family status or hierarchy.

One wish was that Pelosi gave more camera time to Arianna Huffington, Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger, all three born elsewhere who gained American citizenship. Those interviews were far too brief. Especially Kissinger.

This is not a heavy, intricate documentary but a moving snapshot of captured moments that waves a big American flag. It is a joyful thing.

HBO - 9 p.m. Monday