Viva La Resistance!

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2004)

SPOILER ALERT! This is one of the finest satiric cartoons ever made. I am convinced that South Park is the best show on TV (and the only excuse to turn on that disgusting Comedy Central [AKA The Beer and Sex Channel,]) but some people wonder if the movie is as good as the show. Take my word for it, it isn't. It's ten times better. In the movie, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny see an R-rated film starring their favorite Canadian actors, Terrance and Philip. The movie is entitled Asses of Fire, and if I may quote Arthur Taussig, the title is the least offensive thing about it. In the opening scene of Asses of Fire, we discover why it was rated R. I won't give away one of the funniest parts of the movie, but I'll just say that I didn't know you could use that many obscenities in only three minutes. When the movie ends, the boys leave the theatre repeating all the words they've heard in the film. Not knowing what the words mean, they continue this behavior the next day at school. Their teacher sends them to the guidance counselor who subsequently calls their mothers. As those who watch the show may have guessed, Sheila Brosfloski, Kyle's mother, is outraged and begins a campaign to have the film banned.
It's general pop-culture knowledge that Kenny McCormick is killed in nearly EVERY episode of South Park. One can naturally assume that his death in the movie would be the Kenny-death-to-end-all-Kenny-deaths. It is, but unlike his frequent deaths in the show, his death in the movie is a huge contributing factor to the plot. This may be a slight spoiler (if you can call the way in which Kenny dies a spoiler.) The boys end up seeing the movie again, and Kenny is killed while imitating something he saw in the film that may be too inappropriate say in this review. He is banished to Hell for skipping church to see the film, and we discover that Satan and Saddam Hussein are in a homosexual love affair. In this relationship, Satan is surprisingly warm and caring and wants to communicate with Saddam, but Saddam just wants sex. The conversations between these two characters throughout the film are hilarious. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Sheila Brosfloski's movement to have Terrance and Philip banned has spun out of control. Canada is blamed for all of the problems of America's youth, America is preparing to literally wage war against Canada, all Canadian-American citizens are sent to death-camps, and Terrance and Philip are scheduled to be executed. Back in Hell, Kenny listens to a conversation between Satan and Saddam. Bible readers know the seven signs of the end of the world. The fall of an empire, the coming of a comet, etc. We discover that when the blood of Terrance and Philip touches American soil, Satan and Saddam Hussein will ascend from Hell and rule the earth. It is now up to Stan, Kyle, and Cartman to save humanity from the horrors of every Christian's worst nightmare, and his boyfriend, George W. Bush's worst nightmare. This film is more than hilarious. I am convinced that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are the funniest individuals in America. This film is an animated musical, but parents beware, it doesn't bare the Disney family-friendly stamp of approval. The best songs in the film are "Up There," "I'm Super," "What Would Brian Boitano Do?," and the infamous "Blame Canada," which was nominated for an Oscar. The best voice jobs by the creators were Saddam Hussein (Matt Stone,) and Satan (Trey Parker.) I could watch this film twenty times every day and never tire of it. Caution: while this film is animated, it is certainly not for the kiddies. It is filled with vulgar language, but it is not gratuitous. The language used is the purpose of the film. The moral of the film is that no matter what words your children learn from a film, it is not the filmmaker's job to raise your child. It's an anti-censorship film. It is the up to the parent to put it into context and punish accordingly. I would recommend this film to everyone who is not easily offended or an extreme Christian, YOU WILL BE OFFENDED. If you're into satirical cartoons, or just want to see Canadians drop bombs on Alec Baldwin, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is a must-see.