Putting the "F" back in freedom!
"Team
America: World Police" is the latest creation
from the minds of South Park creators Trey
Parker and Matt Stone, with Parker's name
cropping up most often in the credits. The film
starts out noteworthy for a couple major
reasons...first, in find "Thunderbirds" fashion
the film is entirely acted out by
marionettes...it is an odd, brave film choice
that works way more often than one would expect.
I made an original statement that if anyone
could pull off this film choice it would be
Parker/Stone. They do, indeed, largely make this
gimmick work and end up with an often
entertaining, frequently offensive but oddly
generic film that skewers the war on terrorism
by making fun of and/or killing everyone
involved in the war.
The other reason this film is noteworthy is its
now widely publicized marionette sex scene which
garnered the film its original NC-17 rating.
This NC-17 rating is yet further proof of the
complete irrelevance of the MPAA. Does this film
deserve its "R" rating? Absolutely. Any film
with the song "America...Fuck Yeah" is going to
get an "R" rating...especially when the song is
played repeatedly throughout the film. Yet, the
idea of this song or these scenes or marionette
sex (not even anatomically correct marionette
sex) leading to an NC-17 is preposterous at
best. While I can't say that I'd be rushing to
let my teenager (if I had one) view this film, I
was acutely aware that there were 4 teenagers in
my screening of this film (without an adult
escort, I might add) who were probably more
streetwise than I am at this point in life. If
we can let kids go to public school, then odds
are this film isn't going to corrupt them any
more.
Fans of "South Park" will find much to enjoy
here with many of the voices obviously familiar
(since Parker does a number of them) and much of
the same humor present. If you don't enjoy
"South Park", then odds are you will have
little, if any, appreciation for this film
beyond its novelty value.
I found myself entertained, laughing and even
moved at times throughout this film. While I
never forgot I was viewing marionettes, for the
vast majority of this film I didn't care...I was
into the action, the dialogue and the film
itself. In some ways, the stupidity of the film
worked to its advantage and sort of brought to
mind the film "Zoolander."
What's the point that Parker/Stone are trying to
make here? I mean, they clearly trash everyone
from the U.S.'s repeated screwing up of the war
on terrorism, the ignorance of the
terrorists...to the well-meaning but
hypocritical celebrity activists...to the world
leaders and activists who seem to get their
"intelligence" from the evening news. Nobody
escapes this film unscathed, but I'm not sure
there was a point to it all. Is the war on
terrorism stupid or are those fighting the war
on terrorism stupid? Who knows? But, watching it
lived out onscreen sure is funny.
The aforementioned marionette sex scene is
definitely graphic, if you can call a sex scene
with marionettes graphic...yet, it had an odd
appeal and was actually handled quite nicely. It
featured the sort of fake acrobatics and
manufactured passions that often exist in Jerry
Bruckheimer films.
The songs, including the previously mentioned
"America" don't have the usual Parker/Stone over
the top edge to them...They do entertain, but
they sure don't live up to previous Parker/Stone
compositions. I will confess the scene of
"Everyone has AIDS" is funny, along with the
scene of Kim Jong Il singing "Ronry."
"Team America: World Police" is yet another
unique but entertaining film from the world of
Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It won't please
everyone, but fans of Parker/Stone will
undoubtedly say "They did it again!" So, yes, I
say it...They did it again!
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
