Tracey Ullman's State of the Union

Packaged as a satire of American archetypes with the notion of political relevance, Ms. Ullman’s State of the Union is truthfully more of an excuse for her to try on some new accents and costumes and show us her comedic chops. While most of the humour falls flat and may not even be accurately described as such, her ability to transform into each character is nothing short of impressive and may on its own warrant viewing of the first season of this Showtime series. The show essentially weaves through a variety of sketches that Tracey Ullman puts on involving airport security, Dina Lohan, David Beckham, Suzanne Somers, a pregnant 70-year-old, a Bollywood-inspired pharmacist and so on. Jokes about Renee Zellwegger having squinty eyes, Dina Lohan being a drunken slut and David Beckham being retarded are a little too obvious and generic. However, more inspired and obscure references to a Suzanne Somers cooter rejuvenator, which eventually turns into a Bollywood musical number, and a parody of both Andy Rooney’s random rants and his tendency to inadvertently masturbate inanimate objects prove more interesting. These latter sketches work in spite of celebrity impersonation, which themselves wind up as the crux of the show rather than the saviour. Fans of Ullman’s particular shtick should be pleased with the relentless parade of impressions, while everyone else will be waiting for an overall purpose that never comes. The DVD comes with the usual bloopers, outtakes and deleted scenes, which are often more amusing than the show itself, since Tracey steps outside of the "skit” box and goes on inappropriate and occasionally profane rants while in character. Make-up screen tests are included as well and come with commentary from Ullman, which is decent enough for a commentary about make-up.