movie reflects life

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 1999)

I was a bit surprised I liked the movie as well as I did. I never really went out of my way to see the tv show, and while I suppose it beats MASH re-runs, I never considered myself a fan. The movie, on the other hand, is very well executed. For obvious reasons, the media lumps South Park in with all the so-called "gross out" comedies, but there is a detail to craftsmanship here that is easy to overlook . . . things like good comic timing, good parody (I'm thinking primarily of the songs here), a whole range of funny bit players, all well-realized, etc. And, while the movie can be quite offensive, it is never mean-spirited (rule #1: if you're going to offend somebody, best offend everybody). While it may be tempting to read too much into the social commentary of the film (on that level, the movie is shallow & banal), the commentary nevertheless provides a framework for Parker & Stone to riff on. While this isn't Duck Soup or Dr Strangelove, it still is a cut above "gross out" movie status (especially Something About Mary, a movie I deplore).
Interesting side note: I saw this movie the week it opened. There had already been a substantial amount of publicity surrounding the obscenity, coupled with the national crackdown on ids for R-rated movies. I was carded when I bought the tickets, which was a little strange, considering I'm 38 years old, and the person checking my id was maybe 16. I look a little young for my age, but not even close to 17. The woman who went to the movie with me neglected to bring her id (she's 29; she didn't figure she'd need it). The ticket taker wasn't going to allow her into the theater until I volunteered that I was her legal guardian. The manager was called; she said "it was highly unlikely" that I was this woman's legal guardian. I very politely pointed out that it was as likely as the woman being under 17 in the first place. The manager finally decided to let us both in, making clear that she was risking her job to do so. That was the first time I had been carded for a movie in 17 years . . . .