A great musical and a bizarrely political film

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 1999)

Did I mention that it's hilarious too? Formatted as an old-fashioned musical, complete with Broadway-ready tunes by Marc Shaiman, this tells the story of the loss of innocence in South Park thanks to Hollywood's R-Rated movies. Sound familiar? The parents pick up the cause, of course neglecting their own kids as they find themselves fighting Satan and Saddam Hussein. The numbers are fantastic; I'm worried that audiences (and even critics) have forgotten what a good song is, and that, unbelievably, this film will fly OVER everyone's head. But listen to Kyle's Mom's song, "Blame Canada", for a great example of a song advancing the story AND being wildly entertaining at the same time. Each offensive joke also makes a point, either about racism, homophobia, or plain bad parenting...you laugh because it's all true. A warning: I have no idea how this film got an R-rating; use extreme caution with letting your children see this film. If they must see it, go with them, so that you can talk about the offensive portions; it's too easy for children to just pick up the imitative behavior without getting the accompanying satire.