South Park: Bigger, Longer Review
by "Walter Frith" (wfrith AT cgocable DOT net)July 4th, 1999
'South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut' (1999)
A movie review by Walter Frith
[email protected]
Member of the 'Online Film Critics Society'
http://www.ofcs.org
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are two angry generation x members actually making it in the big time world of animation. Adult animation that is. The way they express themselves through the use of controversial subject matter is designed to test your tolerance (or lack of it) and I admire them for it because their work is so absurd and outrageous, it's genuinely funny. Taking little kids and putting them in a world of being brought up poorly and lacing their dialogue with four letter expletives is sort of like the old pie in the face routine. It looks funny unless it happens to you. And if you take it for what it is, realizing that it's tongue in cheek, you can't lose.
'South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut' shows how Parker and Stone have built up their academic style like a powder keg. Not being able to do a lot of the things contained in this film on television have actually made them turn this film on the general public in the form of a wild animal as the NOT FOR TELEVISION subject matter comes falling on you like a hail storm.
All your favourite characters are back for a run in the adventure of their lives. Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Eric do what all little kids have done in the past. They sneak in to see an R-rated film to see two Canadian actors named Terrence and Phillip perform profanity in the form or dirty jokes and foul mouthed songs and come out imitating everything they've seen. Their parents and community leaders are shocked and blame everything on the culture contained within the film. Before you know it, the president of the United States has declared war on Canada and U.S. patriotism goes awry with t-shirts and other merchandise knocking Canada and that is only the start. This is all done, of course, in a humourous manner. As a Canadian myself, I was quite amused at the way our mannerisms are portrayed in the film. The Canadian animated characters heads are cut in half and the top part of their head jumps every time they speak. We did give the world insulin, the telephone and basketball but this is truly the most amazing feat we have ever pulled off!
"Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" This is common in every episode of 'South Park' on television where Kenny always dies and this phrase is blurted out. Well, why leave it out in the movie? Kenny dies and goes to hell where he meets Satan and discovers that since Saddam Hussein, who dies in the film, and Satan are lovers and that the war between Canada and the United States will allow the devil to come back and rule the world with his lover by his side. Absurd! And you may find yourself embarrassed at the fact that you're laughing through all of this.
Like most animated features, this one runs out of steam near the end but is so entertaining in its first hour that the momentum of that accomplishment actually holds the rest of the film together like glue. What Parker and Stone are really doing in this film is testing not just tolerance levels but their test is also to see if hypocrisy levels are also at a high level of occupation. They deliberately take a near utopia haven like Canada and make it the focus of all that is wrong and evil in the world when just the opposite is true. They allow adult cynicism, seen in both the adults and kids in the film to flow like blood from an accident victim.
There is a deep rooted dramatic message contained within 'South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut' and I'm sure that when it takes its place in history with other adult cartoons like 'Fritz the Cat', 'Watership Down' and 'Beavis Butt-head Do America', it will stand the test of time when examined in later years. Now, how about a big screen 'Simpsons' movie!
OUT OF 5 > * * * 1/2
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* * * * * - a must see
* * * * 1/2 - don't miss it
* * * * - an excellent film
* * * 1/2 - a marginal recommendation
* * * - can't quite recommend it
* * 1/2 - don't recommend it
* * - avoid it
* 1/2 - avoid it seriously
* - avoid it AT ALL COSTS
1/2 - see it at your own risk
zero - may be hazardous to your health
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