Twas Enough to Make Terrence and Philip's Aunts Jealous

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2000)

"South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut" provides an introspective commentary on the postmodern state of popular culture. Some of the jokes may be crude - take the title, for instance - but many are sophisticated enough to be funny nevertheless. The plot revolved around a "Terrence and Philip" movie. Parker and Stone employ irony when Cartman says that "the animation is soooo crappy," but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Canadian South Park afficionados may remember that when the show was first broadcast, some people were so offended, that the time slot got kicked back from 9:30 to 12:00 midnight. So what would happen if an X-rated movie featuring a couple of Canadian dolts singing vulgar songs about uncles were to make the return trip across the American border? Without giving away too much of the plot, and with sincere apologies to Frank Sinatra, send in the troops. The "Terrence and Philip" movie is, in fact, a commentary on how political correctness has purged most sorts of cerebral comedy from television and movies, that all that remains is lowbrow humour revolving around bodily functions. Parker and Stone also take pot shots at other contemporary icons (the Saddam Hussein bit is a riot!), and having studied French history, I found the "Vive la resistance!" angle one of the funniest of the movie. Now let's talk about the music in the movie. I tend to find most musicals to be irritating, even the Woody Allen one from a few years back, but I like this musical - maybe because it makes fun of musicals! Besides the song about the uncle, you've got "It's Easy, MMMKay," "Kyle's Mom is a..." and, of course "Blame Canada." Oddly enough, shortly after "Blame Canada" lost at the Oscars to a Phil Collins tune, Parker and Stone lampooned Phil Collins in a recent episode which also involved Ritalin and an unorthodox teenage rock group. How do I know that this movie had an impact on society? It's easy, MMMKay. After our national anthem, what do you suppose the most popular song was at the recent Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill? That's right. "Blame Canada"!