Let’s make the point right from the start, that South Park, this is not. Lil’ Bush Resident Of The United States is simply a group of liberals who have nothing better to do with their time then bash the President. On the surface there are actually some rather humorous elements, and I must admit to finding the idea a little clever. Think Muppet Babies and the Bush Administration. I enjoy satire quite a bit, and when it’s dead on it can be not only entertaining but effective. Here all we really get is a cartoon about these politicians presented in nothing but a negative light. They go through each episode engaging in one nonsensical farce after another, so that you’re left asking yourself one simple question: Just how many times is the same joke going to be funny? Not only is W just an idiot, but his brother Jeb is presented as far worse. I have lived in Florida for 20 years, and I can tell you there was nothing “idiotic” about the way Jeb handled hurricanes, once 4 in 35 days, and other crises that he encountered as our governor here. Cheney is presented as a Satanist who revels in his evil ways. Lil Condi wants nothing more than for W to fall in love with her, and Lil Rummy is a war-mongering bully. W loves his hot dogs and leads the group in a rock band where the motto is “rock and awe”. There are moments this stuff actually gets funny, but too often when it’s simply mean-spirited. I’ll admit they do take some swipes at the other side, but it always comes across as far more playful. In short, if you’re a Bush hater, this stuff will be solid gold. If you’re more balanced and levelheaded, this stuff is funny for a time but gets old real fast.
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Video
Each episode of Lil’ Bush is presented in its original full frame broadcast format. Look, it’s a cartoon, and the picture quality isn’t intended to be hi-def here. Colors are adequate, and while the picture sometimes appears a little bright to me, it is easily as good as the broadcast versions. We’re talking some shaky animation which was originally created for cell phone use and not television.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track serves merely as an adequate delivery system for dialog. You can hear everything with no audible distortion. Dynamics don’t really enter into the equation here.
There are audio commentaries with cast and crew on all 6 episodes. They range from dry to politically charged. There are also commentaries by Ralph Nader, Jerry Springer, and Tucker Carson. After you listen to these useless tracks you’ll ask yourself: What the hell? Springer admits to only having ever seen 2 episodes, and Tucker is mostly interviewing Cary. Nader is the worst , as he spends the entire time remarking on just how bad Bush is.
Special Features
Lil’ George’s White House Tour: More of the same as Lil Bush shows us a few of his favorite rooms in the White House
Interviews With The Cast: There is a bit of contradiction as one writer attempts to claim the presentation is balanced, yet creator Donick Cary is pretty blunt about his opinions of Bush and fairly honest about his intentions here.
Table Read: This is about a 5 minute segment from one of the episodes where we alternate between the actual episode and the table rehearsal for the voice cast
<>Bonus Episode: There is an unaired episode included, called Walter Reed. <>
Final Thoughts
I know I’m likely to catch heat for either “missing the point” or not joining the “we all agree Bush is bad”. While I admit to being a conservative, I am capable of enjoying a laugh at almost anyone’s expense if it’s really funny or clever and not an obvious vehicle for hatred. It’s kind of nice that I got to watch this at the same time I was also reviewing the new South Park release. Certainly Stone and Parker have taken far more pointed shots at Bush and the like, but in each case there is a far more clever angle that is usually going to leave you laughing your butt off. Cary doesn’t have that kind of talent. The difference between the two is rather startling when you watch them back to back.. South Park often borders on genius, while Cary gives us something else entirely. “Seems like some kind of weird voodoo.”
