Talking to Americans

Ignorance is one of the scariest things in the world, and certainly one of the most dangerous, but ignorance of Canada is just plain funny. Folks- the joke's on us. Don't you get it? Although it is used by many as 'proof' that Americans are stupid, "Talking to Americans" is one of the most enduringly popular and most re-run comedy specials ever to air on Canadian television, and it is far, far cleverer than that.

Before Borat there was Rick Mercer. Originating as a segment on "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" (back when it was actually good), "Talking to Americans" was a completely spontaneous occurrence initially, as Rick Mercer realized that Americans, ignorant of their neighbor to the north, would fall for just about anything. The resulting sketches and this masterpiece of a comedy special are built on much more than just mocking Americans' ignorance of Canada (although there are some seriously dumb things people say here- who would really believe that Canada had a 20 hour clock or would call the five dollar coin a 'woody'?), but is an incredibly clever and perceptive lampooning of human nature's desire to come out with a bold and confident statement on matters they are ignorant of.

In addition, the special is one of the most distinctive examples of purely Canadian culture in existence. Pummeling elk with timbits? Seals in Saskatchewan? Bombing West Edmonton mall? Getting on top of Peter Mansbridge? Only Canadians can get the most enjoyment out of the majority of these short interviews. They're brilliant in that Mercer is talking about things he knows full well nobody down south will understand, so it's almost like bouncing humor off an incredibly receptive blank canvas- they'll believe anything he tells them, allowing him to make insanely hilarious puns on Canadian pop culture phenomenon, which to the interviewees probably seem like perfectly honest and reasonable questions.

The low points of the special come when Mercer goes for trying to make celebrities sound dumb. It's still hysterical to see Dub-ya be thrilled to have Jean Poutine's endorsement for President, still hilarious to see Al Gore not reacting to Mercer's naming of Toronto as Canada's capital, still fun to see Mike Huckabee congratulate us on the preservation of our national igloo, but these parts of the special fail to capture the brilliantly straight-faced pop culture and history-based hilarity that Mercer captures in the rest of the special.

9.5/10

I'm from the U.S., but it drives me nuts how people from this country know about Canadians. This special, compiled from Rick Mercer's ongoing series on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, made me want to be on the other side of the joke. It's so easy! Writing the setups must be a blast ... "Congratulations, Canada, on adopting the 24-hour clock" ... and on 500 miles of paved roads, and on Prime Minister Tim Horton's double-double ... and on ... and on. Thanks to the staff of 22 minutes for some great laughs!

Probably the most watched comedy special on Canadian television, this show has brought on so many harsh reviews from Americans. This isn't a documentary. It's not someone's political campaign. It's a satire. Why are Americans so touchy about this show? W hen South Park sang "Blame Canada" did you see us sulking? When Bart Simpson said that it's easy to join the Canadian Olympic basketball team, did you hear us complaining? We just sat back and laughed. Lots of American movies and television have material that is offensive to other countries. Why isn't it funny when other people make fun of you? Have a sense of humour! This is just a TV show.

A little harmless fun. Some segment are hilarious. I want to see all the outtakes, though. The only real danger here is assuming that this program has a point. Consider how it started:

Rick Mercer: Talking to Americans -- the segment --came about like Cornflakes. It was an accident that happened in the lab. We were down in Washington, D.C. We were shooting and I had kind of run out of things to do. We'd gone to the White House and goofed around at the Canadian Embassy. We just had some time to kill.

There were other news people there asking questions about important matters of the day. So I just started doing the same thing. I started talking to them about the Benmergui Clinton Summit. Should it be called the Benmergui Clinton Summit, or the Clinton Benmergui Summit?

I didn't know if the piece would have legs or not, but it sure did. The response has been phenomenal.

(from radio.cbc.ca)

I loved this special! It was HILARIOUS! SB Rice said that the joke is on Canada because we are so insignificant that Americans can not be bothered with us. I disagree. And besides, world politics is one of those things everyone should know something about.

This is hilarious. Rick Mercer keeps a straight face the whole time and fools most people into believing Canada is really preserving the National Igloo; that Saskatchewan is being invaded by Russians; that the mall in West Edmonton must be bombed; that the faces on Mount Rushmore will be bored into. A hilarious show! Great entertainment when you need a good laugh! :)