South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut - 1999 - Trey Parker

It is hard for me to talk about South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, the feature length spin-off to the TV show, South Park, without speaking about the impact that both the show and the film had on me; at least in terms of the development of my taste and sense of humour. As a child, in primary school, I remember going into class and hearing my classmates talk about South Park and being jealous that I had yet to see it. When I was finally allowed to watch it, however, the whole world changed, and suddenly I understood how one could make swearing into an art form. It has also been the show, other than The Simpsons, which has followed me from childhood until adulthood, being there at every stage of my development. South Park is currently in its 16th seasons and shows no signs of stopping. When the film came out in 1999, the show was only two years old, and many parents around the world, especially in America, thought that it was corrupting their youth (along with Beavis and Butthead and Eminem). At this point, it had not yet earned its reputation as a satirical show, which it would in later seasons.

In many ways, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was the point where South Park became satirical and tackled subjects larger than itself. So, what was there better to tackle than censorship on TV and film? Especially given all that South Park the show had been accused of, in terms of its effects on children. The story begins with South Park's four heroes, Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Cartman, who are on their way to see Terrence and Philip: Asses of Fire, the feature length spin-off to the Canadian TV show, Terrance and Phillip, which the boys adore. Their plan hits a snag, however, when they find out the movie has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for its foul language. Luckily, they manage to trick their way into the screening, and when they emerge roughly two hours later, they are swearing a blue streak for all the world to hear. This does not go down well at their school or home, and soon America's youth in its entirety has seen the film, and are all cursing like sailors. Eventually, the mothers of the four lead boys have had enough and start an anti-Canadian propaganda campaign, which eventually leads to Terrance and Philip being arrested in the United States for "corruption of youth" and are set to be executed forthwith. Soon, this scuffle between Canada and America leads to all out warfare, akin to trench combat of the First World War.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the show, who, along with Pam Brady,  have written a script which, on the surface, seems xenophobic, racist and homophobic, yet they are not being malicious; they are simply trying to see how many people they can offend before the offended realise that they have fallen into their trap. Despite the seemingly offensive material, nothing even resembling offence comes from the film. Instead, they are placing a mirror up to the audience who, before long, realise they are less like the idealistic young boys, and more like the outraged mothers who are ready to go to war over naughty language. Trey Parker directs with the same style that Lenny Bruce or George Carlin would construct a comedy bit during their stand-up routines, by lacing their foul-mouthed material with pin sharp satire. It becomes especially apparent that Parker, Stone and Brady are trying to annoy audiences to elicit a reaction when Satan, the overlord of hell itself, is made to be a sympathetic character, and in a gay relationship with Sadam Hussain. Not only were far-right Christians annoyed at its representation of Satan, but the film was banned in Iraq for its portrayal of Saddam Hussein. 

Although, it must be said, that Parker, Stone and Brady would not present these stereotypes, such as xenophobia, anti-semitism or racism if they actually believed in them. They are subversive to the point where they do not care if other people find the material in the film to be offensive. If the movie seems different in terms of structure to the show, it is because they are using more of a laser guided precision on the targets they are taking down, whereas the show is more scattershot and sporadic. However, if this tautness does lead to any problems, it is that some supporting characters who are more present in the show, such as Chef (Isaac Hayes), are not in much of the film.

However, it is not as if Matt Stone and Trey Parker are just being provocative for the sake of being provocative, and it also is not as if they are simply trying to make a satirical movie which annoys a lot of people. First and foremost, this is a comedy, and on top of that, a comedy-musical, and it excels in both formats. Firstly, the songs are excellent, often parodying the likes of Disney's Beauty and the Beast or West End plays such as Les Misérables. It helps that Trey Parker, who wrote the music alongside Marc Shaiman, is a self-confessed musical theatre buff and studied music at the University of Colorado. Secondly, the humour is wonderfully filthy and it is delivered at a whip-crack pace. If one were to leave the room in the middle of the film, one would find themselves lost upon their return. Although, that is at least to be expected when the running time is a sparse 82-minutes in length, and in that time we go from seeing four boys watching a film to the outbreak of the Third-World War.

Unfortunately, the great irony is that the MPAA imposed several cuts upon the film, otherwise they would have released it with an NC-17 rating, which would have severely sliced the film's audience. Eventually Parker and Stone cut out several scenes, and the MPAA allowed the film to be rated R. On that note, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut would make a fascinating double feature with Kirby Dick's documentary, This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006), as both films dissect the MPAA's nannying of audiences and conservative bias against sex and foul language. As Sheila Brofloski, Kyle's mother, states towards the end of the film. "Horrific deplorable violence is okay, so long as nobody says any naughty words. That is what this war is all about."

In terms of voice work, it is as good as the show, which is high praise indeed. Trey Parker and Matt Stone tackle their respective characters with as much gusto as they did in the show, and they give life to several new characters with the same energy. This is also one of the last opportunities to hear the voice work of the late Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced most of the female characters on the show, as she sadly committed suicide not long after the release of the film. One complaint in terms of the voice department would be the celebrity voice-overs, such as George Clooney and Eric Idle, who seem like they are hamming their roles up, causing their scenes to be jarring. There is also an unforgivable lack of Isaac Hayes as Chef, which is especially surprising considering that this is a musical, a seemingly perfect opportunity for Hayes. Although he does have a great running gag about a clitoris.

In conclusion, this is a very smart satire, which uses its profanity as one of its greatest weapons for weeding out hypocrites. It is well paced, and the humour is strong throughout. If there are any niggles, they are only small ones, such as the lack of Isaac Hayes. Overall, an excellent film and a highpoint in the South Park canon.

8/10