Even less like the Waltons...

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2004)

When George Bush Senior said that America should be less like 'The Simpsons', he probably didn't mean it should be more like 'South Park', the crudely animated, and downright crude, satire of American life. 'South Park' adapts to the big screen unexpectedly well, with an outrageous, almost-coherent plot, a musical format, loads of jokes and a hilarious central idea (the U.S.A. declaring war on poor, innocuous Canada). At its best, it's almost Chris Morris-like in its ability to make serious points in the most offensive manner possible. I suspect the formula has its limits, for at times the film seems as purile as its characters Terrence and Philip, the Canadian humourists whose dirty jokes trigger the war: there's a fine line between laughing at kids who can't stop swearing, and believing that four letter words are funny per se. But viewed as a one-off, it's fresh, funny and surprisingly political, and makes 'The Simpsons' seems cosy in comparison.