‘Citizen U.S.A.’ airs Monday night at 9:00 p.m. on HBO

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

If you are going to a fireworks show tonight, set your DVR or TIVO for this HBO special Monday night at 9 p.m. on HBO. ‘Citizen U.S.A.’ is a melting pot that melts the American heart – The Washington Post:

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching someone become an American citizen, then do treat yourself to Alexandra Pelosi’s “Citizen U.S.A.,” an inspiring, one-hour travelogue airing on HBO Monday night, in which the inquisitive filmmaker (and daughter of the California congresswoman) visits a swearing-in ceremony in each state. In a mere 53 minutes.

Janet Van Ham – Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi,
daughter of Nancy Pelosi, visited swearing-in ceremonies
in all 50 states for her documentary “Citizen U.S.A.”

Beyond its breakneck speed and miles logged, “Citizen U.S.A.” couldn’t be more easy or straightforward: From tiny ceremonies in county courthouses to massive arena-sized gatherings in big cities, Pelosi presents a surprising collage of that essential moment when people who’ve immigrated to the United States become official Americans. As newly minted citizens, these folks are the best possible advertising for a nation at war, in financial trouble and griped out. With their stories of hard work, epic journey and appreciation for the small things (Customer service! Privacy! Being able to choose the color of your new car!), they’ll give you hope in this 235-year experiment we’ve got going here.

Pelosi began her project when her Dutch-born husband, Michiel Vos, decided to become an American after the birth of the couple’s children. There’s nothing more to it than that — having been moved by Michiel’s ceremony, Pelosi just runs with the idea.

What do we learn? Not much, besides how easy it is to take your citizenship for granted. Pelosi’s new Americans are so diverse and so ebullient that the rest takes care of itself; only passing references are made to current immigration debates, particularly when Pelosi visits Arizona and there’s a mob outside the building counter-protesting the state’s recently harsh-ified immigration laws.

But “Citizen U.S.A.” is without agenda, open to all. What fascinated me (and obviously Pelosi) was the wide and occasionally bizarre variety of amateur entertainment that precedes a swearing-in ceremony: It’s not just schoolchildren singing, it’s every kind of act — choirs of elderly patriots, storytellers, a woman doing a song and an audience-participation dance involving red, white and blue paper plates . . .  [a circus in Texas].

Another revelation: Apart from the occasional debate over whether the United States needs to replace its national anthem with something more singable than “The Star-Spangled Banner,” one song was apparently long ago chosen for that task by the people in charge of swearing-in ceremonies. It is, of course, Lee Greenwood’s sap-tastic 1984 ballad “God Bless the U.S.A.” Love it or leave it, that song is here to stay.