South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Simply amazing. You can say that it is nothing but fart jokes and toilet humor, but it is so obviously much more than that. What Trey Parker and Matt Stone have done is created one of the most thought provoking and clever comedies of all time and the greatest musical of the decade. Not only is it truly hilarious, it is also one of the most controversial movies of all time. It is mocking the hypocrisies of the MPAA and the average American parenting, as well as many other countless subjects. Not that it isn't a bad thing :) I would have rated it the day I saw it, but I decided to look it over more carefully to see all the undertones that it contains. It is also a great musical. With the help of Marc Shaiman, Trey has created greats like "Mountain Town", the infamous "Uncle F**ker", the Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada", the Les Miserables parody "La Resistance Lives On", and the Disney-based "Up There". However, it is definitely not for children and actually holds the world record for the most profanity in an animated movie, with 399 swear words, 221 acts of violence, and 128 offensive gestures. This wanton swearing is objectionable, but that aside, this is one of the greatest movies of all time, and not even the angry parents can deny it.

For some reason, I can't sit through a half-hour of the South Park TV show. I enjoy it well enough, but it never really holds my attention. The humour always seems stunted on the small screen, very ribald but always in an inconsequential way. Well, free from the restrictions of television, Stone (no relation) and Parker have made a tremendously funny companion movie that manages to weave social satire using thread made up of curse words. And surprisingly, it became one of my favourite movies in recent memory.

And not to be forgotten, but it's a damn fine musical as well.

From the opening refrain of 'Mountain Town', it quickly becomes apparent that the satire will be witty and tight, parodying Broadway musical standards for their own twisted purposes. But the whole thing takes a wicked left turn with the infamous song 'Uncle F**ka' (I truly despise having to put the asterisks in, but then I guess that's the kind of thing this movie is railing against). It's a nonsensical, roll-on-the-floor-laughing, swearing-for-swearing's-sake song from the movie-within-a-movie starring Terrance and Philip. And it throws down the gauntlet for all that is to come.

The remaining songs are all perfectly placed parodies, which serve to advance the narrative, provide character development, and serve up more opportunities for poopy jokes. All noble causes, I'd say. Favourites include 'Kyle's Mom is a B**ch' (which if you listen close enough, is actually quite poetic), and 'What Would Brian Boitano Do' (or WWBBD, in which the 1988 Olympic Champion is held up as an all-knowing superhero). And of course, the closing credits contain a soulful, sincere performance by Doobie Brother Michael McDonald of 'Eyes of a Child' ("Sure, life is kind of gay/But it doesn't seem that way/Through the eyes of a child") that spoofs the drek David Foster and Diane Warren regularly churn out.

Special mention should be made for 'Blame Canada'. Any true Canadian knows who the target of that one is, no?

The brilliance of this movie, it appears to me, is that Stone and Parker figured that the only way to top their TV show would be to up the ante with the movie. Thus we get Saddam Hussein as a butchy homosexual lover of Satan, the execution of Bill Gates, and of course 'Operation Human Shield' in which all the black residents of South Park are not only expected to shield their white army mates from Canadian attack, but are strapped to the tanks as well.

And of course there's the swearing. I read somewhere that this is the movie with the greatest proliferation of cuss words. Well, bravo I say. Bring your grandma and your kids, cause in the end all that swearing actually makes a very powerful point. And Cartman's final coup de grace -in which his cussing actually saves the day -is as good a condemnation of the censorship of speech as anything this side of Newspeak from George Orwell's '1984'.

Buy South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) Now

Ok, ok, this is one of those guilty pleasures. I have to admit that I hate listening to people swear, think the animation in South Park is unbelievably lame, don't care what happens to Kenny and I like Canada (well, sort of.) So what makes this film so funny?

Probably the over-the-top raunchiness that characterizes all South Park. The first time someone played a tape of the cartoon for me, I was gasping with laughter and had to rewind the tape to catch the stuff I was missing while I was convulsing on the sofa. (It was the 70-foot satellite dish issuing forth from Cartman's posterior that caused me to nearly lose consciousnes.)

A little bit of vulgarity is annoying. Somehow, a ton of it, big heaping gobs, is hysterical. When you get to Terrence & Phillip's song number in their "film within a film" you will know what I mean.

There's not only a lot of Terrence & Phillip (Canada's hottest action stars) but also a catchy, Academy-award nominated theme song (Blame Canada) and a very funny Satan who finds Saddam Hussein just a bit insensitive and uncaring.

I laughed hysterically through the entire film. If you like South Park, the full-length movie will not disappoint you in any way.

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This movie takes all of society's politically correct garbage and puts it in its rightful place the trash. This brilliant musical with the South Park characters tells it like it really is. Poking fun at censorship, racism, religion, Les Mis, and Saddam Hussein along with other topics too numerous to mention, this movie will have you crying from laughter. If you have any type of education (and sense of humor) you can't help but appreciate the movie not only for it's over the top antics but it's well thought out message(s) and underlying themes.

However, if you are easily offended by cursing or can't handle reality stay as far away as possible and go back to the mindless safety of Disney.

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I missed this when it was on the pictures over here in the U.K., so I thought that I'd try the DVD. What a laugh. I've been watching the series from episode one. To be honest, I thought that it was starting to get a bit boring.

This film re-instated my enthusiasm for the whole South Park thing. If you like or have ever have liked the series, then I guarantee that you will love this film.

If you can find humour in foul language, sex, death, pornography and politically incorrect satire, then this fella's for you.

If you don't like South Park or you're easily offended by... Foul language, sex, death, pornography and politically incorrect satire then you would be wise to give it a wide berth.

It's easy. If you like South Park or that kind of humour then you'll absolutely love this film.

If you don't like this kind of stuff, then don't bother, because it will offend you, with ease.

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