For some reason I thought I could go into this and watch it as I would any other film. I watch "South Park" religiously and have gotten to know the comedic stylings of Trey Parker and Matt Stone very well by now, but I guess I let my ego get the better of me. They certainly put me in my place very quick. I would almost go so far to say that this is a movie beyond review, but it would defeat the whole purpose of this blog if I let a film defeat me. So let's keep it short and sweet, and have done with the foreplay:
Our favorite four potty-mouthed 3rd graders go to see the new Terrance & Phillip movie, an R-rated flick which exposes Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman to a whole host of new words, their favorite being F dash dash dash. When their parents see how their children have been corrupted they go up in arms against the country of Canada, which they feel has been destroying the morals of the youth. Amid other subplots of Satan and Saddam Hussein's romance, Cartman's anti-swearing V-chip, and Stan's pining for Wendy, the Americans go to war against the Canadians.
Parker and Stone entered the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most obscenities in their movie than any other film--a whopping 399 swears. And that doesn't include the nudity, children smoking, gay sex and half a dozen other no-no's that they throw in for good measure. It was obviously evident that this was a tirade against a PC culture, pushing the boundaries of what could be produced and shown to a wider audience. I have no doubt that--like the boys seeing Terrence and Phillip's "Asses of Fire"--there will be a whole host of real life youngsters who will end up watching this and be subjected to the ridiculous that is South Park unleashed. God bless them for that.
And did I mention the best part? It's a musical! Long before "The Book of Mormon" Parker and Stone were writing satiric, witty and deliciously catchy music, with songs like "Uncle Fucka", "What Would Brian Boitano Do?", and their Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada!" The whole film is incredibly rude, incredibly clever, not always hilarious, but always whip smart and darkly funny. One of my favorite parts is when Satan's ass is likened to Liza Minelli.
It may seem like an eye-rolling, frat boy thing to say, but Parker and Stone are two of the greatest social commentators that we have today. They understand the meaning of free speech and use it to their greatest advantage. Like all comedians they have their peaks and troughs, but there is no denying that their greatest asset is exposing the downright idiocy of the human species. I have no doubt that, as they have Simpson's Studies in colleges, that thirty years down the line there will be classes in every university dedicated to deconstructing South Park and what it was that Parker and Stone set out to do, and how they accomplished it so well. It is one of those rare moments of extreme clarity when we are able to see the zeitgeist (I hate using that word and normally avoid it when I can) of a generation. They have tapped into it, and I am glad to say that I followed them through the process.
In their honor and in the honor of the First Amendment: fuck, fucker, motherfucker, shit, shit head, bitch, cunt, cunt licker, asshole, dick, dick wad, dick hole, cock, cock sucker, fag, faggot, douche, douche head, vaginal belch, etc. Thank you.
2.5/4
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