Quite simply the funniest movie I've ever seen

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2003)

*******some spoilers************
When South Park first appeared on TV, I thought it was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen, and for a short while it even replaced The Simpsons as my all time favourite TV show. But after a while I grew bored with it - the show seemed to be a one trick pony, and unlike The Simpsons it seemed it could only be funny when it was being offensive, even though I admired a TV show which went out of it's way to offend as many people as possible. So I didn't see South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut in a theatre. And that is something I've regretted ever since I saw the film on video, because it is quite simply: 1) the best comedy I have ever seen; 2) along with Monty Python's Life of Brian and Dr. Strangelove, the best satire I've ever seen; and 3) the best musical I have ever seen.
What, I hear you ask, the best musical I've ever seen? Better than Moulin Rouge or The Producers? You bet. Leaving aside for a moment the content of the lyrics, rarely can a film have featured so many instantly catchy songs, even if the majority of them are only 1 minute long. Their short length is actually a strength, making them more memorable and stopping the obscene content of the lyrics from seeming too gratuitous. Of course, the songs deliberately rip off virtually every other musical going, from Les Miserables to Disney's The Little Mermaid, but again this is a strength - all the melodies sound vaguely familiar, which makes the lyrics sound even more inappropriately funny. Actually the songs are almost like a form of punk, with their short length and ripped off melodies. And of course the lyrics. I would say at least 50% of what makes this film so hysterically funny and gloriously offensive are the songs. In particular "What Would Brian Boitano Do?", "Blame Canada", the "La Resistance" medley and "Kyle's Mom's a B***h" are brilliant, but standing head and shoulders above them all, at least in terms of offensiveness and being infectiously catchy is the now legendary "Uncle F***a". Make no mistake, you will be singing this tune out loud for at least two weeks after seeing the movie, often in the most inappropriate places. Trey Parker and Matt Stone must have realised the effect the song would have, as the film even makes a joke out of the its catchiness, with the boys constantly singing it out loud in class, on the street, etc.
As I said above, at least 50% of the comedy in this film probably comes from the songs, but that doesn't mean the other 40-odd% is any way substandard. Yes, most of it is based around deliberately gratuitous swearing and purposefully trying to offend as many people as possible, but this is necessary for the film's satire to work (more on this in a moment). The film's short running time means that the jokes come far thicker and faster than even in the likes of Airplane. I don't want to spoil any of it, but I will just say this - you will never have laughed so long or so hard as you will do on seeing this film. You will be sore laughing. Your head will hurt from laughing. I'm laughing thinking about the film as I type this.

South Park is so way out beyond the pale in terms of offensiveness that it would probably still be funny even if there was no point to it. But undoubtedly what elevates the film above other bad taste comedies to the level of a true classic is the satirical content. Of course there's the obvious satire of parent's blaming TV for their kid's behaviour instead of paying more attention to their offspring, but the film also riffs heavily on US foreign policy. Actually, for a film made four years before the current Gulf War, the film is frighteningly current - the US invades a country without UN backing and a comedy Saddam Hussein is cast as being in league with the Devil - axis of evil, anyone?
In summary, so long as you can stand an f word count of well over 100, not to mention over two hundred other profanities, numerous references to obscene sexual practices and bucketloads of gore in the war scenes, you owe it to yourself to give this film a chance - don't let the deliberately rubbish animation or your views of the TV show put you off, because otherwise you'll be missing out on the funniest 80 minutes in cinema history.
Rating - 9/10