That’s My Bush!: The Definitive Collection (review)

It’s from the boys who brought us South Park, so do heed the warnings about graphic content; the title of the show alone is absolutely meant to be taken as vulgar, and it only gets worse -- or better, depending on your tolerance for pointed crudity -- from there. As much a sendup of network sitcoms, with their wacky-neighbor jester characters and their inclination toward total inanity, as it is a wicked jab in the ribs to the then-new president, George W. Bush, this Comedy Central entry positions the leader of the free world on a par with, oh, Ralph Kramden or Al Bundy, a hapless American male besieged on all sides by wife, coworkers, pets... by the sheer mundanity of everyday life. It should come as no surprise, though, that there are some trenchant observations here about the middle ground to be found in some of the most devisive issues of the day, from abortion to the death penalty -- as with South Park, these eight episodes, the series in its entirety, are rude for a reason. But dating as it does from early 2001, it cannot help but appear to let the object of its parody off the hook far too gently: post the failings of 9/11, the PATRIOT Act, Katrina, Iraq, its depiction of Bush as nothing more dangerous than an affable buffoon is a relic of a more innocent time, hard as anyone in early 2001 might have found that to believe. Commentaries from cast and creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone round out the set. [buy at Amazon]

(Technorati tags: Thats My Bush, Matt Stone, Trey Parker)