South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, 1999.
Directed by Trey Parker.
Starring Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, Isaac Hayes, George Clooney, Eric Idle, Mike Judge, and Brent Spiner.
SYNOPSIS:
Did South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut need a 4K Ultra HD release? Probably not, since Blu-ray was really good enough for that one, but if you’ve been pining for it, here it is. You also get a code for a digital copy and a Blu-ray with the movie and its scant bonus features. However, the crazy commentary by Parker and Stone makes this one a worthwhile purchase, if you haven’t bought this movie on home video yet.
The world needs shows like South Park. I actually haven’t watched a ton of it myself, but I always appreciate people like Trey Parker and Matt Stone who skewer everyone and everything with equal enthusiasm. Sometimes you need to put aside your preconceived notions of the world and just acknowledge how absurd it can be sometimes.
In the case of the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which is 25 years old now, Parker and Stone satirize everything from World War II movies to uptight parents who wring their hands and wail, “What about the children?!” (To quote The Simpsons, another show the world needs.)
The inciting incident, as they say, involves Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny sneaking into an R-rated movie featuring the Canadian comedy duo Terrance and Philip. They emerge from the showing repeating all the foul-mouthed things their heroes said, and soon they influence other kids on the playground at school.
Parents and teachers are horrified by what the kids are saying, and, rather than deal with the situation themselves, they blame Canada. That, of course, leads to a declaration of war against Canada, the imminent execution of Terrance and Philip, and concentration camps for anyone in the United States who has any Canadian heritage in their backgrounds.
Our heroes decide to rescue Terrance and Philip, which leads to plenty of World War II references. Meanwhile, Kenny, who died while showing that it’s possible to light farts on fire (of course), goes to Hell and encounters Satan and Saddam Hussein, who are plotting to take over the surface world. Can the kids save Terrance and Philip while protecting the planet from Satan and Saddam?
The story, which runs a brisk 81 minutes, features plenty of musical numbers with funny (oftentimes very funny) lyrics. Even if you have zero interest in South Park, you’re probably aware of the song “Blame Canada,” which sums up the absurdity of the situation by poking fun at the uptight parents who remain active to this day. (Remind me to tell you sometime about the theater in my town that caused a kerfuffle over the f-word being used in its marquee. The horror!)
I’ve always found the relationship between Satan and Saddam Hussein to easily be the funniest part of this movie. The way Saddam toys with Satan’s emotions is hysterical, especially when Satan begins to second guess their relationship.
I should also note that Parker and Stone did a brilliant job of pre-empting the Motion Picture Association’s complaints about the film, which received an NC-17 rating multiple times before they finally gave it an R.
As Kyle’s mother says at one point: “Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don’t say any naughty woids! That’s what this war is all about!”
You can argue that South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut didn’t need a 4K Ultra HD release, given the crude simplicity of the animation, but if you were hoping it would arrive some day, you now have reason to celebrate. If anything, 4K highlights the crudeness of the animation, but when it comes to South Park, that’s a plus, not a minus.
A code for a digital copy was included too, along with the film and its bonus features on a Blu-ray disc. My understanding is that it’s not the same Blu-ray Paramount previously released, although no new bonus features were commissioned. The Blu-ray is where you’ll find the “sing along” version of the movie.
The main extra is a commentary track with Parker and Stone that’s just as unhinged and irreverent as you’d expect. Others who worked on the film also pop in and out, as do random people who happened to be in the office that day. I wouldn’t have expected anything else from the pair, making it a very worthwhile listen for fans.
Also included are the movie’s theatrical and teaser trailers, along with the music video for “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” I didn’t even get a chance to mention that last bit in my review of the film, but it’s another great piece of satire too.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
