An hour and a half of South Park fun.

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 1999)

How far can a television show go before it hits the big screen? South Park has tested the viewing public's interest and has made the big jump, quite successfully. Trey Parker and Matt Stone's creations have offended and astounded people on what is supposed to be a censored-for-television-show, and now, the four foul-mouthed youngsters have pushed the envelope to the edge. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut may not be Parker and Stone's first feature film, but it is their first animated motion picture. It utilizes the show's entire main and supporting characters and includes several songs that could practically make the film a musical. Viewers of the Comedy Central program are familiar with Terrance and Philip, television show that features two characters who flagellate on one another for half an hour. South Park's main characters, Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman are big fans of the program and make plans to see their feature film. (Sound familiar?) Although the film has an R rating, the group views the film and is exposed to its extreme foul language. Parents and teachers are shocked to hear the kids repeating lines from the movie in their day-to-day lives and make it their mission to silence Terrance and Philip once and for all. Because the show is created in Canada, the US Military plunges into war with them, being led by Kyle's mom. Meanwhile, the kids of South Park create their own resistance to stop the killing and bring freedom back to speech. Parker and Stone's message is pretty clear. The film itself has a restricted rating, aimed at preventing people under the age of 17 admission without a parent or guardian's accompaniment. This just so happens to be the film's target audience and the box office meal ticket. The film's release couldn't be timelier. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has just announced that all theatres must check identification before allowing teenagers into these films. Even President Clinton has jumped on the bandwagon and announced the same intentions not long after the Colorado shootings. So how far can a movie go? South Park seems to attempt to offend everyone in an equal manor. The Christian, Jewish, Canadian, disabled, gay, black and pro-choice all take heavy hits in this film. But to its creators, it is all in good fun. After all, if you can't laugh at yourself, you are taking things too seriously. As for the film's quality, it mainly has the same production values as the show. Some electrifying computer effects are used after Kenny torches himself to death. But amidst all of the gigabytes and pixels, the small cardboard character remains the same. A few of the jokes are recycled from the program, but most of the humor is new and is even more crude than before. To say that the profanity is extreme would be an understatement. Although it is the basis for the whole movie, it begins to get old after the first 15 minutes. The films best humor revolves around people's misconceptions about each other. Other hilarious moments include the relationship between Satan and his live-in lover, Sadam Hussein. Their musical numbers outdo the rest and culminate the film to its explosive ending. There is no doubt that South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut will do well at the box office, no matter who is buying the tickets. I was pleasantly surprised once I left the theatre. Many of the viewers in the audience laughed so hard they couldn't hear the jokes coming up next. Very rarely does a film generate more entertainment and laughs than the television show it has spawned from.