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Favorite Film Friday: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

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Directed by: Trey Parker
Written by: Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Isaac Hayes, and Mary Kay Bergman
Release date: June 30, 1999
Oh how I do love South Park. Earlier this year, I wrote a column about why the show is comedic genius and how influential it is to me and to our culture. This may be somewhat of a cliché, but I believe that its film adaptation truly is a work of art and it may just be one of the best animated films in history as well as one of the best musicals.
In the film, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny go see an R-rated movie starring their favorite Canadian duo: Terrence and Philip, and the film’s foul language has “warped their fragile little minds.” Soon, they and the rest of America’s youth start swearing like sailors and as usual, the people overreact to the situation. Within days, the parents of South Park, led by Kyle’s mom Sheila, start a war between the United States and Canada, which will shape the fate of history forever. In order to save the day, the boys form a resistance movement; La Resistance, in the hopes of showing their parents just how much trouble they have caused.
There are also two subplots in the film. One involves Stan trying to win Wendy’s heart over a young British genius named Gregory. The second involves Satan himself and his struggling relationship with his homosexual lover Saddam Hussein, in a very over-the-top portrayal.
The film’s concept is borrowed from a previous South Park episode Death in which the parents of South Park protest against the show Terrence and Philip. The film does satirize a lot of major issues with today’s society and the problems that people cause in an attempt to keep their children from watching anything that they find inappropriate. This obviously backfires when they realize the lengths that their actions have gone and how they have made things worse for their kids when they were initially trying to protect them.
The screenplay for this film is fantastic. It is extremely funny and it is philosophical at the same time. The characters are all great as usual, even if some just come and go, and others do not even get a line. This was released in the middle of South Park’s third season, which I believe is when the show was funnier, so it has a very different feel whenever people think of the South Park we know now. This was back in the time when the kids were in third grade and were much more naïve, and it acts more of a surreal comedy than a social satire.
The film is a musical. Trey Parker, who majored in music in college, writes the songs for this film which are parodies of classic musicals likeLes Miserables, Oklahoma, and the Disney Renaissance movies. There are classic songs like What Would Brian Boitano Do? Mountain Town, and the Academy Award nominated Blame Canada. All of them capture the mood of the film, whether it is supposed to be happy, motivating, or even sad, at least in a comedic way. The soundtrack is one of the best in film history.
Younger fans tend not to be as attracted to this film. They seem to be more into the more modern and satirical South Park than the more surreal classic South Park. Like I said before, this was when the show was much different and it really depends on your comedic taste to say if you will enjoy this movie. For me, it is a very funny movie with memorable songs and a great message and it is as funny now as it was 15 years ago. It works well as not only a good adaptation of a great show, but also of a great film on its own.  It remains my favorite animated film.
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Columnist explains the genius of ‘South Park’

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By Isaac Mathewson
 For 16 years, “South Park” has entertained and offended people all over the world. With over 200 episodes, a feature film, several video games and a huge amount of merchandise it continues to be Comedy Central’s highest rated shows, as well as being one of the most popular animated shows in history.
 I myself have been a fan of the show since I was about 10 and to this day it is one of my favorite TV shows as well as a major comedic influence in my life. Now with it coming into its 17th season, I have decided to give some of my viewpoints on the many criticisms of this hit show.
 Ever since it first aired in 1997, “South Park” has been a target for criticism for many reasons. It has often been criticized for its coarse use of foul language, toilet humor, racial slurs, and violent images, among many other factors. While many viewers claim that these elements are funny and at times it is well written social satire, others see it as inappropriate behavior that is offensive and is “corrupting” our children. I am going to explain the truth behind these criticisms.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the show’s creators, have said that “South Park” is social satire that is meant to be viewed by adults only. They say that at, literally, the very beginning of every episode. It has a lot of adult content both in its subject matter as well as in the topics it covers. One of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, is the pervasive language in the show. This is also the theme of the film. Many parents have complained that the language corrupts youth. However, the real truth behind the pervasive use of language is the fact that the creators say that this is what children say when they are alone, and they are trying to accurately portray kids in their dialogue and their ideas.
Another major issue is the portrayal of prejudice, most notably the way the character Eric Cartman constantly torments fellow student Kyle Broflovski for being Jewish. Many people have criticized this because they feel that this is making prejudice and racial slurs look acceptable. The reason behind this is that the creators wanted to show what it is like to be the only Jewish kid in school, as co-creator Matt Stone went through that phase himself. It is also meant to show human behavior, and how we as a species treat others who are different.
 The show is not without its flaws. Sometimes it can be too over-the-top, and it can be disturbing and occasionally disgusting. However, what we really need to do is look at it based on its writing and the topics that the show covers. Some of its writing is very good and it does at times have good messages. If anyone wants to see the art behind “South Park,” I would recommend the episodes “Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants,” “Margaritaville,” “Make Love Not Warcraft,” and “Chin Pokomon.”
 I am psyched about the upcoming 17th season, and I hope that the show continues on for several more years. Hopefully, we can all look past the adult content, and appreciate the show as  well written satire, as well as some of the best comedy of the past 20 years.