Michael Elliott
Senior HTF Member
The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
Studio: Lions Gate
Year: 2004
Rated: NR
Film Length: 61 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Standard (4:3)
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English
Retail Price: $19.95
Late night talk show host Conan O’Brien has become a cult item over the past ten years usually by delivering over the top and sometimes foul humor, which is something not seen on the likes of Jay Leno or David Letterman. O’Brien featured all sorts of teenage humor but the king of this is Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, which has been everywhere from American Idol to the MTV Video Music Awards. On August 10th, Lions Gate brings a collection of greatest hits to DVD.
Running just over sixty-minutes in length this special edition DVD features some of the all-time favorite moments from the television show. Things start off on a nice note as Triumph visits the Westminster Dog Show where he’s able to tell us the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. Most of this consists of butt sniffing and leg humping but Triumph is there from start to finish. After this guest shot Triumph goes the next step in his celebrity by appearing on Hollywood Squares with hilarious results. Not only does Triumph explain why cats should be shaved over dogs but he also finds time to insult Al Roker as well as hump Whoopi Goldburg’s hair.
Now with some cash in his pockets Triumph heads to New Jersey for a Bon Jovi concert but he can’t understand why so many losers has showed up for a bad rock group. Triumph investigates through all the fans as well as interviews the band. The best moment happens when he tells Bon Jovi that he’s a good actor because he’s been acting as a rock star for over a decade. After this segment we head back for a second dose from the Westminster Dog Show where more butts are sniffed as well as more legs being humped. The next segment is probably the best moment in the career of Triumph and as well one of the funniest moments in talk show history.
Triumph visits the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones movie line where die-hards fans have been waiting outside for weeks. If you’re one of these die-hard fans then you’ll probably want to skip this segment because the nicest thing he calls you is a nerd. Everything else is below the belt and contains some of the most insulting moments you could possibly imagine. I watched this segment when it originally aired and have seen a few repeats but it keeps getting funnier each time I see it. Next up is the controversial MTV Video Music Awards where Triumph is picking on Moby only to get into a fight with rap star Eminem. Also included is the press conference where Triumph gets to throw a few more insults. Finally we get a segment on Quebec where Triumph insists that Canadians are stupid.
The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will surely please fans but one wishes it would have ran a little bit longer. Most comedians try their best to throw minor insults that won’t offend anyone but that’s not the case with this talented dog who goes all out and doesn’t care if people get mad or start crying. The Star Wars segment is clearly a classic moment in television and the rest aren’t too bad either. Fans of the dog will certainly want to add this to their collection and those interested in low-brow humor will probably enjoy this as well.
VIDEO---The video is shown in its Standard (4:3) ratio, which is correct. Having seen most of these clips on television there really isn’t much of a difference on the DVD. The picture quality looks about what you’d expect to see on basic cable and there doesn’t seem to be any transfer problems bringing this to DVD. The only slight problem I noticed was during the first Westminster segment where a couple white speckles appear on the screen. Other than that everything appears fine with fine colors (except O’Brien’s face, which is always pale) and decent blacks. The segments differ in appearance but this is probably due to the shows budget being different as the series went on. There’s no dirt to be spotted and no digital artifacts either. I doubt any of these went through a remastering job but you shouldn’t be disappointed here.
AUDIO---The Dolby Digital Stereo track is just fine and like the video quality is really doesn’t appear any worse or better than what you’re used to seeing on the broadcasts. Again, nothing appears to have been cleaned up but it really wasn’t necessary considering these clips are all fairly recent. The sound is crystal clear throughout the film without any hiss, scratches or jumps.
EXTRAS---Lions Gate has offered up some very nice special features, which is nice considering many of these type of collections come with zero. Up first is a section called Extra Poop, which is broken down into three sections. Triumph at Home is the first section, which has three sections of its own, which can be viewed one at a time or together with the play all option. First up is a five minute clip from the International Dog Show where Triumph is up to this usual tricks interviewing owners and humping their dogs. A ten minute Guest Insult Montage features the dog insulting various celebrities including Jon Tesh, Jerry Springer and William Shatner. Finally we get the eleven minute Pets.com press conference, which is a pretty stupid and boring segment. This is when Conan accused Pets.com of stealing their image from Triumph but this joke went nowhere and the press conference really isn’t worth watching. Triumph on Location has another four segments, which too can be viewed one by one or together with the play all option. In this section Triumph heads out on the road including a sixteen minute segment with the American Idol Hawaiian tryouts, which are very funny and come close to the Star Wars episode. Up next is a five minute clip from the 2001 Video Music Awards, which features the Olsen Twins among other celebrities. Next is an eight minute clip of Triumph going to Hollywood and taking people on a tour of celebrity houses. Finally we get a third stint at the Westminster Dog Show, which is nice but not one of the funniest out there.
Triumph Productions has three sections but none of these are too funny. Up first is the five minute clip, A Couple of Mutts: Conan/Triumph Sitcom, which is a decent takeoff on The Odd Couple. The four minute Triumph Christmas Special features the dog at home with his family and trying to send off a family like message. 8 Nipples is a spoof of the film 8 Mile and tells the story of the early like of Triumph. Up next are fourteen minutes worth of outtakes from the Bon Jovi, Star Wars, Canada and American Idol segments. Some of these contain new scenes while some of the scenes are just extended versions that didn’t make the final cut. Once again, the Star Wars segment comes off the best. Finally we get two music videos, one being “I Keed” and the other “Come Poop With Me”.
OVERALL---Fans of the dog will certainly want to add this disc to their collection even with the short running time. Lions Gate has offered some nice extras, although you can’t help but wish a commentary track of some sort would have been added. I’m sure Triumph would have had fun insulting himself as well as those paying money to watch him on DVD.
Release Date: August 10, 2004
