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South Park - Theaters
Writer: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam BradyDirector: Trey Parker Producer: Scott Rudin, Adam Schroeder Studio: Paramount Characters: (Voices) Trey Parker - Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Mr. Garrison, Mr. Hat, Officer Barbrady Matt Stone - Kyle Brosloski, Kenny McCormick, Pip, Jesus, Jimbo Marsh Isaac Hayes - Chef Review: OK. Before I get started, a few disclaimers. First, I'm a huge fan of South Park. I laugh my ass off at all their stuff. Second, DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS TO SEE THIS MOVIE! South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (herafter, simply South Park) is the big screen version of the raucous Comedy Central television series. When the film version of this show was announced, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone indicated that their deal centred on being able to do an "R" rated animated film. Boy, did they deliver. How South Park managed to avoid an NC-17 rating is beyond me, because this film is loaded to the gills with jokes about everything from Saddam Hussein to abortion, with no stone left unturned. The film also takes a no holds barred policy against the MPAA. The plot, which is surprisingly complex, follows our heros Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as they take in the new Terrence and Phillip movie. The movie within a movie is actually a thinly veiled version of the South Park movie itself, and before long the entire country is embroiled in a censorship battle because of Terrence and Phillip...sound familiar? To add to this, there are subplots involving Satan and Saddam Hussein (who have a very...unusual...relationship) and some great subtle parodies of various films thrown in for good measure. As you can guess, given all the discussion of censorship of films and television recently, and the lack of responsibility being taken for children's actions on the part of their parents, South Park manages to plug into a whole hotbed of issues regarding censorship. For such a light and flippant movie, it covers these issues extremely well, and even though you'll find yourself laughing your ass off, you'll also find yourself thinking, "good point". There a few caveats in regard to this movie, though. First off, South Park is VERY R-rated movie. All I can say about the language is ... wow. Thankfully, I'm not one to allow myself to be offended by simple words (especially when they're this funny), but still ... wow. The second, is that this film is very much a musical. For me, this is usually the touch of death. In this case, though, the songs worked for me. The reason why? They're so damned funny! Within the first ten minutes of this film, I had laughed harder than I have ever laughed at a movie before. Seriously. I laughed so hard it literally hurt. By the end, I was tired from laughing so freakin' hard. This movie is VERY funny. In the end, I'd easily recommend this film to South Park fans and people with a sense of humour who aren't easily offended. If you're neither of the above, avoid the film...it's not for you. For the rest of us, GO SEE IT! Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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