Remember when South Park first premiered in the 90’s? Remember how it was one of the most outrageous, disturbing, offensive shows ever to hit television? By the time I was old enough to actually watch an episode without procuring the wrath of my parents, I couldn’t stop laughing. And as I got older, I came to realize that within the outlandish brand of humor Trey Parker and Matt Stone had actually infused their controversial cartoon with healthy doses of brilliant societal commentary. Well… If you thought South Park was as wild as it could get, prepare yourself for Sausage Party.
Co-creator Seth Rogen stars as Frank, a sausage living with his fellow package mates (Michael Cera, Jonah Hill) in a grocery store where all of the products live with the dream of being chosen by the Gods (humans) and being carried away to “the great beyond”. But after a bottle of returned honey mustard (Danny McBride) threatens the status quo with creepy tales of what really happens when humans take home food, Frank and his hot dog bun girlfriend, Brenda (Kristen Wiig) find themselves out of their packages and lost in their massive world. While Frank searches for the truth to their existence with the help of some druggie non-perishables (Bill Hader, Craig Robinson, Scott Underwood), Brenda teams with a Jewish bagel (Edward Norton), a muslim lavash (David Krumholtz), and a lesbian taco shell (Salma Hayek) on a quest to find their way back into their aisles in hopes of being chosen. All while an angry douche… yes, an actual douche (Nick Kroll)… seeks revenge for being denied his opportunity to be chosen.
Like South Park, the humor in Sausage Party is meant for a very specific audience. Only the most immature of baby boomers won’t find this movie appalling. From the harsh language that uses almost every means of profanity fathomable to more sexual innuendo than a hardcore porno, Sausage Party tips the scales of anything I’ve ever seen in a movie, let alone an animated one. But me, 28 year old fan of cartoons aimed at adults, I couldn’t stop laughing. Sausage Party doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s aimed at audiences who enjoy crude humor, so don’t expect it to.
The funny thing is, like the aforementioned controversial TV show, it actually has a relatively insightful backbone to it. Crammed within the food puns, foul language, and sexual innuendo is a pretty endearing message about how society can get bogged down by beliefs and petty differences. Sure, it takes shots at religion, but the overall concept that we as a species are all in this together, is a correct one. And Rogen and the rest of his writing team deserve a ton of credit for even having a message. Sausage Party would be hilarious if it were just a gross out, adult comedy, but it’s undertones give it an extra ounce of heart that makes it memorable.
At certain points the puns fall flat. And sometimes the movie gets eye poppingly outrageous. The end sequence is a doozy no matter how mentally prepared you think you are. But after several days of recovery from the sheer absurdity of it all, I found myself laughing again. And a movie that can make you laugh hysterically, that also has a point, is something that anyone can appreciate even if it’s too much for some to handle.
FINAL GRADE: B+