[3.0/4.0]
The logical progression, according to the dictates of the modern American film industry, is to take a successful television series, and capitalize on its fan base by releasing a feature film of that series. "South Park" started as a short which was popular enough to prompt a series on the Comedy Central television network, quickly becoming one of that station's most popular series.
The appeal of the series lies in its contradictions. The animation is rough and jerky, but the result is a minimalistic, almost avant-garde quality. The children are drawn in an innately cute manner, with large heads and large eyes, but their dialog and actions can be quite vulgar. However the best quality of the series is the satire, which is constantly skewering various aspect of American pop culture.
The four main characters are Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny. They are third grade students in the quiet town of South Park. One day they sneak into an "R" rated film starring their favorite television personalities, Terrance and Phillip. While most of the audience is instantly turned off by the films excessive profanity and flatulence based humor, the boys are riveted. When the impressionable boys mimic the movie's vulgarities back in the classroom, the teachers and parents are outraged. Kyle's mother takes an especially vociferous role in determining how to protect their children from such bad influences. A quick evaluation determines that because Terrance and Phillip are Canadian, America must ban all things Canadian, as well as execute Terrance and Phillip.
The undertone of the film is a clever self reference. Obviously this film contains excessive profanity that the parents object to in the Terrance and Phillip film. The point being made is the hypocrisy in the allowable levels of objectionable content in mass media. Typically in American film, profanity and sexual content are derided, but violence is tolerated (although recent tragic events may have elevated the objectionability violence). In reality, just as in this film, there is no shortage of knee-jerk reactions (and an ambiguous assignment of cause and effect) when discussing objectionable images reflected in mass media.
An extra dimension is added to the story when it is revealed that the impending execution of Terrance and Phillip is the event that will unleash the Armageddon. Kenny is killed (just as in every television episode) when he imitates a scene from Terrance and Phillip, and finds his access denied into the sparsely populated heaven. When he enters hell, he discovers that Satan is preparing to ascend to rule Earth along with his lover, the recently deceased Saddam Hussein. Kenny desperately tries to warn the other boys that the must rescue Terrance and Phillip from death in order to save the world.
The strength of the film is its biting satire, which is often extreme. Among the targets are American cultural imperialism, racial politics, and fundamental Christian images of heaven and hell. One example is the shocking image of Mahatma Gandhi welcoming Kenny to hell, which is a commentary on the fundamentalist Christian view that Gandhi has met the same fate in the afterlife as Adolf Hitler. Sensitive viewers may feel that the film tries to be funny by simply being vulgar. Indeed, the profanity is extreme and occasionally distracting, but often it is a part of the deeper lampoon. Another dimension of the satire is the multitude of musical productions. For viewers who dislike musicals, these provide an enjoyable roasting of the usually wholesome genre. Perhaps the best number is when Satan longingly sings of his desire to rise and rule the Earth. The popular song from the television series in which Eric derides Kyle's mother is also presented in the film.
Recommended. Viewers who enjoy the television series will probably also like this film. It is definitely more vulgar, and at times the obscenity becomes tiresome rather than funny. Viewers who are not familiar with the television series can also enjoy this film, filled with scathing satire and commentary about American pop culture. The film is intentionally extreme in its profanity and sexual content, so sensitive viewers will be offended. Although it is a cartoon, this film is definitely not intended for children.
(c) 1999 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://ArtHouseSquatter.com
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