It's a musical!!

Rating: 6/10 (9 September 2000)

I had heard a lot about this film, how great it was, and I think it got played up a little too much. However, it does have some great aspects, including an AMAZING collection of songs... The tunes are swingin', lighthearted and lots of fun. (My favorite was "Brian Boitano") That songs even exist in this film is crazy. That they are good, well-orchestrated production numbers is incredible, and adds a genuinely Broadway feeling to the movie. It is my opinion that the music in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" rivals what is found in many Disney films.*********** Still, this movie is not as good as the TV show. I would have to agree with some of the other viewers, by saying that I DID find the constant profanity distracting. (Particularly, the Terrance and Phillip "movie" is pretty annoying.) In the TV show, the profanity is used with style and character, but here it is just overused and gets irritating. As a space filler, the profanity robs this film of its potential for a great verbal script. One of South Park's outstanding attributes is the unique, zany dialogue... I was expecting that same, provocative banter between the characters in this film, and it did not deliver.***************** I do not feel that the overall quality of this movie is near that of the average TV episode. It has little of the intelligence and filthy charm, the honesty and clever, child- perspective that makes its lead characters so joyous to watch. It does make a statement, and has the social commentary that is the show's trademark, but it is dragged down by CONSTANT, overtly sexual references, which are limiting and uncreative. (By contrast, "Beavis and Butt-head Do America" was much better able to bring on a plot that was original, and mesh it with the characters' normal dialogue. It did not change the style and feeling of the TV show just to take advantage of an R Rating, which seems to be the case with "South Park"..)******************* Beyond this complaint, the film has merit. The plot is interesting and unpredictable (Parker and Stone would have it no other way), full of opinion, color and satire. Between the tiresome lewdness, there is some true wit and laugh out loud comedy. There's even an endearing new character (The Mole, a gritty, French revolutionary who gives his life for Stan's "La Resistance") and a touching ending that is both sad and triumphant. Under all the offenses, there are poignant messages here about society and parenting. Try as they may, the producers are unable to drown the meaning in eff-words, or make this outing mindless. It may not have quite the heart and shine of the TV show, but any South Park fan will enjoy watching Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and all their cronies embark on this musical, political adventure that is a classic in its own right. My score: (all things considered) 6.5