THE SHOW:

White people do it like that and Latinos do it like this. Oh and the way Latinos do it is soooooo much better. There you have it. That's George Lopez's latest HBO special in a nutshell. I won't deny that there are a few laughs to be had (I definitely chuckled a few times). Just be prepared to have the same basic premise flogged over and over again for roughly an hour. Lopez's charisma will keep you from tuning out but there's a really good chance that the shallowness of his material will leave you unsatisfied after he's left the stage.

To have recorded 3 stand-up specials for HBO is no small feat. Lopez accomplishes exactly that with this set performed in front of 7000 adoring fans at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Lopez is on his home turf and has the crowd hanging on his every word right from the start. Lest anybody accuse him of disguising his intent, he announces early on that "Tonight is a celebration of being Latino in USA". What he neglects to mention is that he will hardly stray from the subject over the course of his set and that in order to properly celebrate his heritage, he will routinely be taking shots at other races (especially white people).

After starting out his set with praise for the Latino work ethic, he moves on to topics like Mexicans being used as punching bags in the media (the Swine flu was originally called the Mexican flu) and the time-sensitive beauty of Hispanic women ("you gotta get them before they get fat"). A bright spot shows up in the form of George's racist Grandma whose tales give the show a few rare moments of unpredictability. From there, we're back to the superior child-rearing methods adopted by Hispanic parents (tough with emphasis on values) including physical intimidation and crippling doubt. This is in stark contrast with white families whose kids are (apparently) spoilt, entitled and swimming in meds.

After a brief stroll through more vulgar terrain (jokes about queefs, farts and blowjobs), Lopez even tackles some political material by claiming to run for president with Carlos Santana as his running mate. He also gets in a few shots at Mitt Romney (whose father was born in Mexico) before playfully encouraging President Obama to drop his dignified act. This bit gives him an opportunity to do his Black Man Voice which should be a nice change-up for anyone who has grown tired of the White Man Voice that he trots out during the rest of the show with alarming regularity.

It's mildly depressing to watch Lopez work through his set. To have so much energy and stage-presence wasted on such one-note, uninspiring material is a bit disheartening. His talent is undeniable which explains why I kept hoping for an uptick in quality till the very end, even though I was acutely aware of the repetitive nature of the paths he was going down. Although one could say that he is just playing (pandering?) to the expectations of his core audience; that hardly explains why so many of his jokes seem to be instantly forgettable.

I believe it may be because there is so little of Lopez in his own act. When he is talking about his grandma he lights up with a spark which is absent from much of the rest of the set that applies to the Latino experience. In trying to give his material universal appeal (well, universal within his target audience), he seems to have squeezed himself out of the picture. His jokes may resonate with his fans in a general sense but they say next to nothing about Lopez and his own life. I suppose there is some truth to the title of the special after all. It's not about Lopez, it's about you...unless of course you're not Hispanic, in which case you're on your own.

THE DVD:

Video:
The anamorphic widescreen image is more than acceptable for the material at hand. Blacks are deep and inky while colors have plenty of pop. Shadow detail is above average as well. Considering the entire act is Lopez on a stage, the visual presentation won't leave anybody wanting.

Audio:
The audio mix is presented in English 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. Much like the visual component, the audio mix is exactly what it needs to be and nothing more. Lopez's voice is always front and center, presented with clarity and depth. Crowd noise blends in nicely to provide more of an immersive atmosphere.

Extras:
The only extra is a making of featurette called George Lopez: The Road to "It's Not Me, It's You" (13:33). The professionally composed piece blends behind the scenes footage with interviews of Lopez, his tour manager and opening act. Lopez talks about the calming effect of playing golf as well as the life lessons he has gained from it. There is also discussion of his philanthropic efforts and general love for the fans.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
George Lopez has a singular focus in his latest HBO special. Unfortunately it is so singular that unless you fall squarely in his target audience (Latinos in America...but you already knew that), you will likely be left out in the cold. Not helping matters is the fact that Lopez treats his material with a distracting level of detachment. For all the time he spends talking about what Hispanic people supposedly do, he spends precious little effort drawing the audience into his own life. The result is a set that operates purely on a superficial level and garners a few laughs but doesn't have much of a lasting impact. Rent It.