I like the TV show "South Park" and I LOVE the movie, "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut." Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the "South Park" creators, are very talented, and they have a unique ability to be vulgar and offensive while still being somewhat poignant. For example, in the first season of "South Park," there was an episode entitled "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" that made fun of gay people (and gay dogs), but hidden under all the gay jokes and stereotypes was a message of tolerance. It may seem hypocritical, but I don't think it is. With all the shit going on around the world, ya gotta have a sense of humor, and I honestly feel that nothing is taboo when it comes to comedy, as long as it isn't done out of hate or malice. The comedy from Trey Parker and Matt Stone may offend some, but at least it isn't hateful.
I'd been looking forward to seeing "Team America: World Police" for a while. It was released before the Presidential Election of 2004 (which, by the way, went very smoothly in Miami-Dade, thank you very much), but because I was so busy at work, I didn't get to see it until a few weeks after. I'm glad that I saw it, but I'm sad to say that even though I liked the movie, I was a little disappointed. I laughed a lot, and I liked what the movie was trying to say (and I can't dislike a movie that depicts Michael Moore the way this movie does), but the comedy isn't as sharp as I thought it would be. Yeah, it's a funny movie, but not as funny as "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut," and nowhere near as witty.
Before I go further, lemmie get into some of my political views, just in case you think that my political views could have affected my enjoyment of the film. I'm a registered voter in the state of Florida, and I'm registered as "NPA," which stands for "Non-Party Affiliate." I'm pro-choice, I'm for stem cell research (and passionately so), I think gays should be entitled to civil unions (and legalizing gay marriage should be decided by the states), I think there's too much censorship, and I think that marijuana should be legal (and this is coming from someone who has chosen to never smoke it). Oh yeah, I also voted for John Kerry. So I should just call myself a Democrat, right? Well, when it comes to the economy, defense, and crime, I'm whole-heartedly Republican. If I were to break it down, I'm about 65% Democrat and 35% Republican, but I refuse to commit to either side. That being said, I can't stand it when all the celebrity activists start spewing their uneducated political rhetoric. They're arrogant, self-righteous, and sanctimonious, not to mention annoying, insulting, and condescending. Then there's Michael Moore. It's one thing to be a Democrat, and I believe in a lotta things that Democrats believe in, but he's borderline Socialist. Not only that, he distorts the truth. When it comes to George W. Bush, the truth is enough to get people upset, but Moore isn't satisfied with the truth. He's a propaganda filmmaker, and his obvious agenda makes his accusations questionable. I'd say the same thing about a documentary made by Rush Limbaugh, who is the flip side of the same extremist coin.
Okay, now that I've said all that, it's pretty clear that I should like how the celebrities are made fun of in the movie, but that's where the humor is the most disappointing. That stuff could have been hilarious, and some of it is quite funny, but it could have been so much better. I think they dropped the ball with how they handled the celebrities. As for how they handled Michael Moore, well, it wasn't very clever, but it was pretty good.
Please don't think that I dislike the movie, because I didn't. I enjoyed it, I laughed a lot, and the puppet sex scene is priceless, but when it comes to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the bar is set really high. I know how good they can be, and I expect a lot from them, because I know how smart and funny their comedy can be.
Before I forget, I have to mention the work of The Chiodo Brothers. They're the puppeteers in the film, and they also designed the puppets. Their work is outstanding.
Fans of "Star Wars" should keep their eyes open for the scene in this film that pays homage to the Mos Eisley Cantina scene. There's also something for all the "Star Trek" fans out there who speak Klingon. Heh, Parker and Stone are geeks.
"South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" had musical numbers, and although I wouldn't call "Team America: World Police" a musical, it does have a few songs in it that are really funny. Not as good as the songs in the "South Park" movie, but still pretty damn funny.
In all likelihood, when I see this movie again, I'll like it more. My expectations were too high this time out. Still, I think it's fair to say that "Team America: World Police," although funny and entertaining, is a bit of a letdown when compared to "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut." However, The puppet sex scene is really funny. Supposedly, the scene was cut 12 times in order to finally get the R-rating from the MPAA. I can't imagine what was cut, but the Director's Cut should be pretty interesting... and disturbing.
Scale of 1-10: 7