Even though I was introduced to the work of Trey Parker and Matt Stone well into the fourth season of "South Park", it didn't take me long to realize that these guys were not only geniuses… but geniuses who didn't give a rip who they offended. They weren't looking to make friends in Hollywood, and by all accounts I imagine they have very few. But each and every season of "South Park" and the subsequent film (which boasts an academy Award nominated song) made me delve a little deeper into the past works of these two… uhhh… twisted individuals. I of course found my way to a DVD of "Cannibal, the Musical", which was one of their earlier efforts. This film, despite its obvious 'no budget' look was still hilariously funny and showed that the boys had a tremendous musical talent both in writing and performing. The songs in the movie parodied the styles if songs you’d find in "Oklahoma" and did so with ridiculous ease. And I was just as impressed with their later collaboration "Team America", which was one of the funniest and most offensive movies of 2003.

But way before the success of "Team America", Parker and Stone tried their hand at parodying life in the White House with a live action series for Comedy Central. The series was "That's My Bush", and I was a fan of the show from the first episode. You see, I was one of the lucky Americans who realized early what a walking joke George W. Bush was. A very dangerous joke, but a joke nonetheless. So when I learned that the series was going to take a stab at making a fool out of a clown, I was more than eager to watch.

To their credit, Parker and Stone don’t have any strong political ties. They are apolitical, and realize that our government has been whacked out since long before any of us were even born. As it was, before the series was ready to film, they still didn’t know if they were going to attack Bush or Al Gore. They had to wait to see who was going to be elected. Whoever made it into office would be the star of the show. Fortunately for them, if not for America as a whole, the Supreme Court appointed (not elected) the easier target.

The series was a shock right off the bat as I expected it to be cast with a handful of unknown actors who weren't worried about being ostracized by Hollywood. However, leading the pack as our buffoonish Commander in Chief was actor Timothy Bottoms. While he has never been on the A-list, Bottoms has certainly had an impressive body of work. And when I saw him mimicking George Dub'ya, I couldn’t get over his on the money performance. As a matter of act, I understand that the Bush Administration was not very happy with the series, and after they realized it wasn't a real documentary (which took quite a while), pushed Comedy Central to kill the series.

It ran for only eight episodes, but in those few half hour shows, Parker and Stone were able to capture the true spirit of George W. Bush and in many ways made him seem smarter than he actually is. The series was heartwarming and funny, and I couldn’t find a single thing about it that any member of the Bush Family would have understood enough to be offended by. I could even imagine a couple of the episodes could have even been mixed in with the Bush Family's personal home videos and they would have never known the difference.

Still, someone in a high place saw the episodes and explained them to Dub'ya… then explained them again… then again… and finally passed the information on to the family dog, who got it right away. After that, it was just a matter of time before the show was shelved and hopefully forgotten. Yet unbelievably, Paramount is releasing the full series of eight episodes on DVD this month. This at a time when the President's numbers are at an all time low (in order for him to be able to count them) and his minions are on the lookout for anyone who has anything bad to say about him. I'm actually surprised that the studio is being allowed to release them. (If Paramount disappears after October, I'll know who to blame…)

The DVD includes some commentaries from some of the cast as well as Parker and Stone… and as expected they don’t hold back. This is a great DVD set, and one I would recommend to any fan of Parker and Stone's work. I'd also recommend it to anyone who still actually supports Bush… all two of you.

Episodes:
An Aborted Dinner Date
A Poorly Executed Plan
Eenie Meenie Miney Murder
S.D.I. - Aye Aye!
The First Lady's Persqueeter
Mom "E" D.E.A. Arrest
Trapped in a Small Environment
Fare Thee Welfare

Starring: Timothy Bottoms
Extras: Audio Commentaries from the Cast and Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Specifications: Full Frame, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/24/2006
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give That's My Bush: The Complete Series a B.