Swearing makes the world go round.

Rating: 9/10 (7 September 1999)

Whether it's something to be worried about or not, I don't know, but American live-action films rarely emulate the wit, invention and versatility of their animated counterparts. Even so-called lesser efforts like HERCULES are magesterial compared to bloated Hollywood extravaganzas and enervating indies. The best of the modern live-action films, such as RUSHMORE, owe much to the freewheeling ethic of cartoons such as THE SIMPSONS.
All of which is to say that SOUTH PARK is easily one of the best films of the year. Again, I don't know whether this is a good thing. One truth is self-evident: it shows up the bow-legged unfunniness of most 'comedies'. I was a bit worried going in because the second series of the TV show showed signs of desperation and flagging ideas, but this was a hoot. I nearly choked on my sweets, and twice spat my drank on the person in front.
Its pleasures are many, but most satisfying of all is its consistent adaptation of a young boy's world-view. The satire of THE SIMPSONS would be way over Bart's head, but everything here is exactly how a Cartman would see the world. Everything is flat and two-dimensional; noise and immediate sensation predominate; cartoon (!) violence and swearing are joyous pleasures; the efflatus of modern life is only half-gasped (homosexuality, oncoming puberty, Sadaam Hussein is the devil's lackey etc.); and, most importantly, mothers are the cause of all the trouble in the world, their domestic tyranny transposed to a global scale. And yet this focus does not limit the film's blistering, savage satire, anymore that Lemuel's point-of-view softens Gulliver's Travels.
The moral of the film is perversely reassuring. Swearing makes the world go round. This isn't just a facile rubbing of conservative noses (although the thought of this is very pleasing) - the idea that the socialisation of children only leads to emotional damage and social chaos is one with a long and noble history. The annoying thing about this film is its pompous arrogance - if you agree with the film-makers, cool; if you don't, you're a reactionary lunatic. The great thing about the film is that it belongs to no-one. Everyone is offended, crucially: though censorship is ridiculed, viewers are shown to be influenced by what they watch; though army racism is attacked, one of the black characters still talks like an extra from GONE WITH THE WIND. No-one is ever allowed to feel comfortable - conservatism and political correctness are shown to be cosy bedfellows.
And yet, the truth is that, despite exposure to 'offensive' material, and potentially traumatic experience, the children remain blissfully innocent. The film's achievement is to show that a set of signifiers (e.g. swearing, obscure female body parts) are of little effect unless they are accompanied by the knowledge to use them practically. Cartman and co. get fun from swearing because they know it annoys their elders, not because they're offering conscious transgression.
Formally, the film is much more graceful than you might expect. The big screen is perfect - the prodigious detail of SOUTH PARK is often lost on TV. The colours and 'simplistic' animation are a constant delight, both comically and aesthetically. The musical numbers are hilarious and clever in themselves, but also brilliantly choreographed - this is the best Hollywood musical since CABARET. There is a stunningly conceived and very frightening vision of hell (beware Hitler! George Burns! Gandhi! Jar Jar Binks!), which is immediately sent up. The climactic battle is a model of crowd composition and meaningful imagery. The pace, while it never matches the stunning opening and Terrence and Phillip film sequence, rarely flags.
What SOUTH PARK will be remembered for, though, is its sidesplitting, offensive, how-the-hell-did-they-get-away-with-that sequences of genius (and it's really tiresome hearing blase bores saying 'What's shocking about it?' Name one film in your local multiplex one tenth as daring): Terrence and Phillip's sublime 'Uncle' song; the Satan and Sadaam relationship; Kyle on the Net; Cartman's V-chip; Mr. Mackay's rehab group; Big Gay Al's show for the boys - they just keep on coming, we can't stop laughing. One quibble - for all its gratuitous swearing, there is one epithet that even Parker and Stone can't seem to handle. I wonder why.