Review: SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT

'SOUTH PARK' IS A HILARIOUS, VULGAR, ENTERTAINING RIDE

(reviewed on Wed, July 7th, 1999 in Garden City Regal 12, SC w/ Jack, Bill, & Dr. Dre)

    I never thought I’d see it, but it happened, right in front of me. I will probably never see it again in my life so I’d better remember it. It was opening day of the new “South Park” feature film, the R-rated cartoon starring the loveable third graders from Colorado. At my local multiplex the theater ushers were actually checking tickets at the theater door. Checking tickets for a cartoon. They didn’t check tickets for the much worse “Summer of Sam” or the kid friendly “American Pie”. They had good reason I’m sure, but it was definitely a moment I’ll never forget. High security for a cartoon. What times we live in.
    If you’re living in a nuclear bomb shelter than you wouldn’t be reading this, but anyway maybe you got out, you don’t know what “South Park” is, do you? It’s a hilarious half hour cartoon on Comedy Central about four third graders and their simple mountain town. What an understatement. Throughout the three seasons of the show we’ve seen alien anal probes, an elephant mating with a pig, a robotic Godzilla-like Barbara Streisand, a school nurse with a fetus growing out the side of her head, and a suburban mother sleeping around at a drunken barn dance. Did I mention that this is the freshest and funniest show on TV in years? It’s cast of characters pales in comparison only to “The Simpsons”. Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny are already classic characters.
    Since the TV show is on Comedy Central and not HBO, they can’t use any of the big curse words, or show nudity or excessive violence, even though the TV rating system garnered it a TV-MA which HBO’s OZ also is which is about a million and one times worse.
    Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the show and film, figured out a way to make the movie seem bigger and better than the TV show. They didn’t want an 80 minute TV episode. So how could they make it different? Rate it R.
    “South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut” starts off with the four kids going to see the brand spanking new Terrence & Phillip movie, ‘Asses of Fire’. They get to the theater but find out that the film is rated R so they can’t get in. They force a homeless drunk to buy them tickets and soon enough witness a few hours of farting and profanity.
    The kids leave the theater only to spread the word to all the other children that they must see ‘Asses of Fire’. Eventually every kid is cursing and using new words they had never knew before. Teachers at the school tell parents and eventually a war is proclaimed against Canada since the film is Candien.
    To give anything away would ruin the film and make my review seem downright dirty. What I can say is that I haven’t laughed this hard in a film since probably “The Nutty Professor” remake. It definitely stands high as being the funniest comedy in years, I would say it pales in comparison only to “The Naked Gun”, which is the funniest film in my mind. “South Park; Bigger, Longer, & Uncut” is not just a regular episode. It’s an event. It’s a musical. It’s downright silly and sick and politically incorrect yet highly entertaining and very watchable. The songs are great, funny, and really make the film rise above the TV show. It’s an experience unlike anything I’ve witnessed. It’s a downright great film. I wish all summer movies were this fun. ***1/2 (out of ****)