South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut

Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Director: Trey Parker
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1999
Rating: 3 / 5

I enjoyed watching South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut. I just wanted to make sure that this statement was heard before I followed with this rebuke: For all of the hype surrounding this movie, in addition to all the critical praise, I was sorely disappointed in the overall intelligence level of this film. South Park airs weekly on Comedy Central, and, while this station is a cable outlet, language and violence are nonetheless limited. Co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are thus forced to make due with witty satire and amusing social commentaries. There is a reason why this cartoon airs late in the evenings on an obscure cable channel - even though it is a cartoon, the core audience of this cutting edge comedy is the twenty-something crowd. Why? The show offers viewers an unabashed view of the entertainment industry, societal mores, and the like, all the while keeping everything light and keeping the audience laughing. If only the creators had not lost sight of this during their feature film experiment...

We have all come to know Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny over the past few years, and with great anticipation did we greet their arrival on the big screen. As Trey Parker and Matt Stone had to make numerous cuts to escape the dreaded NC-17 label, the film version of the hit series promised a large quantity of expletives, in addition to some suggestive subject matter. Never let it be said that this film did not deliver in that realm. Like a caged animal finally being set free, these four rambunctious children yelped and wailed their way to verbal freedom, utilizing every vulgar word that ever graced their virgin ears. Thanks to a profanity-laced film import from Canada, the boys learn a whole new vocabulary of tantalizing words, and soon the entire town is in an uproar. Somebody is to blame for the corruption of these young minds, but who? When all else fails... "Blame Canada!"

Despite the absurdity of this premise, it does make for a rather amusing story line, with a fairly ample amount of jokes made at the expense of our northern neighbors. As the youngsters first learn the power of their new language skills, the audience is left howling with laughter. Yet after awhile, the notion of ten-year-old boys swearing ad infinitum loses some of its appeal. I derived little humor out of the same recycled jokes, and soon found the pace of the movie bordering on tedious. (This might seem difficult to accomplish for a film that only runs a scant eighty minutes, but let me say that it is indeed possible.)

Parker and Stone clearly mean to entertain while also drawing attention to some very prominent societal organizations and people. The Baldwin family, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the military, and Bryan Adams are just a few of the targets dreamt up in the minds of these two witty men. Yet, while their message is never lost, I found myself no longer laughing by the end of the movie. Do not misunderstand - I was never offended, nor do I feel that this film with help to signal the downfall of children's morals heading into the next century. No, this comedy committed a greater crime than that - it stopped being funny. And to this critic, that may have been the greatest injustice of all.

Cast:

Trey Parker..........	Stan
Trey Parker..........	Cartman
Matt Stone..........	Kyle
Matt Stone..........	Kenny

Certification: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 80 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
Comments: Send E-mail
More Reviews: Feed My Ego