Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: Miller accomplished a somewhat difficult feat in writing this book; the successful combination of rational, logical arguments and the presentation of them in a humorous, scathingly witty prose. One might argue that it's been done many times before by other authors in the political humor genre; I would agree, but not on this level. Miller's literary and comic blend is so succinct in this book that, in my opinion, he joins the upper echelon of satirists like Al Franken, Michael Moore, and P.J. O'Rourke. It is definitely the balance of "The Rants" that makes it so enticing and enjoyable; the intelligent, convincing arguments coupled with his amusing, blatantly cynical approach to the issues give you the impression of an unrecognized, bitter genius. Dennis Miller decries the abomination that is narcotic prohibition through the chapter on drugs ("If the government took away all the drugs in the world, people would spin around in circles on their front lawns until they fell down and saw God"), the alarming, newfound scarcity of the liberal, and the illogic of anti-abortion laws. Remaining liberals, read this book to laugh at, agree with, and have your notions confirmed; conservatives, read it for the challenges it presents to your views. Miller has established himself as a bold new presence in the vocation of putting politics to paper.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny but only in small doses
Review: Mr. Miller has written a very funny book in his own pop-culture style. The only problem with it is, well, his pop-culture style. After five pages straight of stuff like, "I'm tired of being treated like the blonde guy who replaced Barbarino on 'Welcome Back, Kotter'," you'll be ready to scream and kill small animals. Stick with it, though, and take the book in chapter doses. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Arrogant, wishy-washy? Yes. Hilarious? Oh you betcha
Review: Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but often times, Dennis Miller's monologues are all about smoke and mirrors. He uses a high-falutin lexicon (tempered with a fair amount of obscenities and fellatio jokes), obscure references and comical names to disguise a very ambiguous philosophy. For the record, he is a self-avowed "conservative libertarian" and "a pragmatist." To this title, the reader of The Rants can add "curmudgeon." Indeed, Miller seems to have reached the cranky "in my day" stage of life a couple of decades early, sniping about every issue from effete liberals to infomercials (the latter being the subject of his most amusing rant) He has an annoying tendency to lapse into a cute little joke just before developing a serious thought -- i.e, while proposing a solution to the homeless problem, he takes the opportunity to razz on Kato Kaelin. But then again, he is a comedian, for whom many have few expectations.For all his shortcomings, however, Miller has developed an inimitable rhetoric, a seamless interweaving of comedy and scathing political commentary. Not since Lenny Bruce has there been a comic who can so adroitly address social concerns while inspiring guffaws from his audience. He is the exact opposite of the dogmatic Rush Limbaugh, who skews all events to jibe with his vendetta against liberalism and adulation of conservatism. Instead, Miller tells it like it is, sans bs, with no political agenda. The only problem with this approach is that it's hard to gauge where the gifted comic really stands on any political issue (on most apolitical ones, he is -- like most of us -- just plain fed up). Having been a fan of Miller's from the Weekend Update years, I checked the book out from the local library and dug it immensely. I progressed to the next step and bought his audio tape, which I listen to daily. (soon I hope to get my hands on the "microchip-plant-it-in-your-brain version of the Rants, which Miller pitches in the book) I n! ow force passengers in my car, at Tim Allen videotape (or gun, which is more lethal I cannot fully ascertain)-point, to join me in laughing and shrugging of shoulders at this comic genius. Grab a dictionary and an encyclopedia of obscure 20th century history and get set for some serious arse-whipping hilarity. In light of Dennis' excoriating slam-dunk of critics, I'd love to hear what he'd have to say about my little commentary. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be dying of cancer because the FDA didn't tell us everything about Olestra.
Rating: 
Summary: Pure Genius, Smartest man alive, simply hilarious, a god
Review: Obviously, 9/11 has had a deep impact on Miller and his comedy. The conservative pundits had already established a successful cottage industry on cable during the profitable Clinton-Lewinsky period. But after 9/11, the conservative talking head business went thru the roof, and Miller was smart enough to latch on to that rocket. When he compares the French people's smell to an "overflow dumpster at an El Segundo Jack In The Box after Menudo just visited with the entire cast of Hong Kong Phooey", you really have to wonder if he may be God. With his spastic headbobbing and non-sensical comparisons of the Clinton White House to the Banana Splits riding the bumper cars at Knotts Berry farm, or to Carrottop leading the Bolshoi ballet in a production of Josey and the Pussycats, or to Captain and Tenille running the BBQ pit at a Flatts and Scruggs concert, etc., Miller has carved himself a unique niche in the overcrowded field of right-leaning cable yakkety-yakkers. His new CNBC talk show should provide some added balance to the other 30 or 40 other right-leaning talk-shows on cable.
Rating:
Summary: Dennis Miller : The Rants
Review: Should be required listening for all potential teachers, parents, right-wing Christians and politicians. Heck, it should be required listening for existing teachers, parents, right-wing Christians and politicians anyway, so let's just strap them down and pump up the volume! Makes you really revel in the fantasy of making Pat Buchannon's brain explode like one of those androids that kidnapped Mudd in Star Trek because he couldn't handle the intake of actual human logic. I would also love to see a college course or town hall meeting on the topics discussed in The Rants--although humor comes first here, there is an underlying plea for sanity and hope that Americans will get off their collective rumps and think for themselves instead of paying someone else to do it. Definately invest in the tapes rather than the book because Miller's tone of voice will not only clue you in to what he means but no one can quite say the f-word like him and STILL sound like Plato's stepchild accepting a Nobel Prize
Rating:
Summary: Searching for the soul of Dennis Miller
Review: Since I've been alternately lambasting and lauding Dennis Miller on my new website, "An Open Letter to Dennis Miller", and since I've written a few poems about him, it's only fair I backtrack and learn more about the guy I used to admire, but hadn't fully appreciated. So I bought a couple of books, borrowed others from the library, and listened to "The Off-White Album". I'll limit this review to "The Rants", which I have both on audiocassette and hardcover. Dennis, please, please, find that person you once were! In the first rant, "Liberalism", he recognizes that liberalism is probably dead as a political party, but needs to stay alive as a spiritual force. In other rants, I find genuine chunks of wisdom mixed in with snide or too-clever comments. Sometimes I giggle or smile, and sometimes I'm out-loud guffawing. And the F-word and other obscenities aren't as frequent as I expected (though certainly frequent enough!). I find the Dennis Miller of old clever, cocky, a little annoying, sometimes embarrassing, and overall enjoyable. I find the Dennis Miller of early 2003 hateful, intellectually lazy, pandering, sucking up to the hilt--and only occasionally funny. Will the real Dennis Miller please come back?
Rating:
Summary: Chalk another one up for Den. This book ruled.
Review: Snappy, cutting remarks that make you say "Ya I hear ya Den-man. An Impressive writeup that dropped the hammer on every thing from O.J. to infomercials. Another wound to the inner child of anyone who got on Miller's bad side. Of coarse that's just my opinion I could be wrong
Rating:
Summary: Rather Dull
Review: The audio version is Miller reading, without much inflection in his voice, and without an audience giving any feedback. Small musical intros lead into each tirade. The result is something that sounds more like a lecture by a sociology professor on drugs, but less entertaining. Occasionally something warrants a small smile, but overall it is one of the most boring, least funny "comedy" CDs that I have ever heard.
Rating:
Summary: Dennis Miller at his greatest
Review: The book is excellent for any fan of Dennis Miller. The book on tape is much better, considering Dennis Miller himself reads it in his usual sarcastic tone. Even if you don't agree with his opinions, Dennis is a great comedian.
Rating: 
Summary: Miller Takes Sarcasm To New Heights
Review: The Rants is a collection of momologues from Dennis Miller's HBO series. Some of these editorials are hilarious, some poignant, others are crass and juvenile. No topic is off limits, but I think politically, Miller hangs a little to the left. Most are entertaining, but I'm sure the written word loses something in the translation from the performance. I read this book when I heard Miller would be joining the Monday Night Football crew--my guess is football will never be the same. Fans of his show will probably enjoy this more than non-fans.
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