Stephen Fry in America [DVD]

Stephen Fry is fantastically clever, and witty... he is also impossibly kind, so how much you like this DVD is entirely dependant on your opinion of Fry himself. I feel unabashed adoration, so perhaps my impending glowing review is slightly biased, but if you're not a fan of his, there are a myriad other "travel" shows you'll prefer.

It's impossible to say how long Fry actually spent in the States, but there are 6 episodes in which he visits all 50 states (travelling east to west) so it's very much made to appear he makes only whistlestop visits. He doesn't dissect each state historically/politically/religiously/etymologically; rather, he introduces us to one defining feature of each. For example, in Maine he takes us lobster fishing with a 3rd generation lobster baiter (heh. "Lobster baiter". Sounds a bit rude); in Florida he takes a drive through Miami and almost weeps at its anodyne ugliness and soullessness; in Louisiana we visit New Orleans' Mardi Gras and a peculiar voodoo woman with freaky eyes and sunken cheeks...

This isn't meant to be an indepth exposition - it's just a wonderful, loving skate across the surface of all things American, as seen by the most English man in the world. Well, no, he and James May run about even on that one, but his absolute Englishness contrasts perfectly with what he's introduced to. If that implies there's a degree of scorn, that's entirely my error: he is clearly enormously fond of, and intrigued by, the USA.

When I said Fry is impossibly nice, he really is. He meets a couple of people who, you can tell, slightly offend him and he says nothing; he meets people who would presume to educate him on matters he already knows (I'm not sure there's anything this wonderful man *doesn't* know) and instead of interrupting or telling them he knows, he responds with delight and interest, allowing them to feel they're somehow imparted wisdom to someone who was in the dark. Further, he can talk to anyone. Anyone. He has a genuine warmth which people can't help but respond to; he is kind to all, even those who are prickly and unlikeable, and he is genuinely interested in what everyone has to say, be they billionaires, homeless or regular joes.

The extras are a little thin on the ground... there are 6 more meetings with people that flesh out that state a little more, but that's all. It would have been nice to have more Fryness in the extras, but am just being greedy, really. Each episode is an hour, so there is over 6 hours as it is.

What's the American equivalent of an Anglophile? A Yankophile? Well, I watched this as a huge fan of Fry's and as a Yankophile. My views on the States haven't changed. In his own perfect words, it is "simultaneously preposterous, incredibly laughable, impressive, charming, ridiculous, expensive, over-populated... wonderful America."

Fry, though, shows himself to be an unadulterated gem in all ways, and the best *possible* companion for visiting the USA. If you go into this liking him very much, expect to come away from it having fallen completely in love with who he is as a person.

Immensely enjoyable, and anything less than 5 stars would be a travesty.

I am an American fan of Stephen Fry, and I ordered this from Amazon UK as it is not available for sale in the states. I was a bit worried this would be a sarcastic or patronizing look at some carefully selected American oddities. Rather, it was a kind-hearted look at some well-chosen slices of American society -- some a little quirky, but none so far off the mark as to be non-representative.

It moves a bit quickly through some states (such as mine, Delaware: we got about 2 minutes, if that), but is still an amusing overview of the country as a whole.

We enjoyed this series very much, and would recommend it.

Stephen Fry once said, there are so much Europeans (and especially Brits) who think of Americans as dumb, fat, humourless, pompous people and how angry makes him these sterotypes.
Fry shows the far more attractive things and people of the US, never confirming typical sterotypes in an arrogant or mocking way - one of his true strenghts.
Kind, subtle, witful and never arrogant Fry shows us America through his open-minded eyes. Of course, some bits are too small and maybe to Fry-centered. But hey: If you're fan of Stephen Fry, it is a must-have.
A joy to watch the perhaps kindest but also most witful British actor. Highly recommended for those who cannot wait for the next Kingdom series.