Review - South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this review was definitely a long time coming. It's probably one of my favorite animated films produced outside of Disney, and it stems from one of my favorite cartoon shows for adults: South Park. A series that, even after its 1997 debut on Comedy Central, stirs up a lot of talk, a lot of laughs, and a lot of controversy. So, during the show's early years, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to release a big screen feature film in the Summer of 1999, and that's what we're here to discuss. So, let's dive right into South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. 

        The movie opens with Stan Marsh going around town and picking up his three closest friends: Kenny McCormick, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman, with Kyle's adopted brother Ike tagging along, to go see the new movie Terrance and Philip: Asses of Fire. Unfortunately, they can't get in to see the film due to it being rated R, so they pay a homeless person ten bucks to buy their tickets. Upon watching the film, the boys are shocked by the level of obscene language in the movie, including the film's breakout song "Uncle F--ka," and begin to use the mature dialogue they picked up from the movie. 

           Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman then head to the pond where their classmates are all ice skating, bragging about seeing the Terrance and Philip movie, and convincing the other kids, including Clyde Donovan, Butters Stotch, and Token Black, to see the movie themselves, as all of the kids are Terrance and Philip fans from the TV show of Terrance and Philip. The next day, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny get in trouble at school for showing off their new vocabulary, with their moms being called by school counselor Mr. Mackey in regards to the situation. Upon learning that the Terrance and Philip movie is involved, Kyle's mother Sheila decides to pin the entire situation on not just Terrance and Philip, but their home county of Canada. 

         After the boys and their classmates go through language rehabilitation, they go see the Terrance and Philip movie once again, with Cartman betting Kenny that he can't light a fart on fire. Kenny does so, but the attempt causes him to be burned to death, dying in the hospital when doctors attempting to save his life accidentally replace his heart with a baked potato. Kenny is then sent to Hell, where he is confronted by Satan and his new partner/lover Saddam Hussein. Back in South Park, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman are all grounded by their mothers, who form a group called Mothers Against Canada. The group, led by Sheila, declare war against Canada, and place Terrance and Philip under citizen's arrest during their interview with Conan O'Brien. 

       At a United Nations meeting, the Canadian Ambassador demands the Americans release Terrance and Philip, because the loss of the two would lead to an economic recession for Canada. The Americans refuse, which leads the Canadians to launch and airstrike on the home of the Baldwin brothers. This act leads U.S. President Bill Clinton to formally declare war against Canada. Some days later, Cartman sings a signature song about how Kyle's mother is a bitch, but Sheila shows up and busts Cartman, making him the first to receive the experimental V-Chip. The V-Chip is designed to electrically shock an individual for using profanity, unlike the real-life chip of the same name that was placed in remote controls for television to censor violence in television programming. 

          The United States military, after the Canadians carry out an air raid against the Arquette family, decide to officially send military troops into Canada, round up U.S. citizens of Canadian descent into concentration camps, and execute Terrance and Philip during a USO show featuring appearances by Winona Ryder and Big Gay Al. Back in Hell, Satan reveals that the deaths of Terrance and Philip will ultimately lead to the apocalypse, and Satan's reign on Earth will begin. Saddam gets excited, as it gives him the chance to control the world. Back in South Park, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman decide to get the rest of the kids together to save Terrance and Philip, stop their mothers, and end the war. Amongst the group, which is named La Resistance, is Stan's romantic interest Wendy and her new friend Gregory, a transfer student. Gregory points Stan, Kyle, and Cartman in the direction of The Mole, who agrees to help them break into the USO show and save Terrance and Philip. 

        Unfortunately, the effort costs the life of The Mole, and war breaks out between the Americans and the Canadians. Kyle finally confronts his mother, revealing her hypocrisy of declaring war against Canada when she has an adopted son who is Canadian. Sheila, unwilling to relent, shoots Terrance and Philip, spilling the blood of the innocent, leading to the arrival of Satan and Saddam, who forces everyone to bow to him. Cartman, who's V-Chip is malfunctioning, swears up a storm and shocks the crap out of Saddam, who insults Satan for the last time and is tossed into the pit to Hell, and impaled on a massive stalagmite. Satan, who was shown the light by Kenny, agrees to Kenny's wish to return everything to the way it was before the war happened. Satan returns to Hell, everyone that died is brought back to life, including Terrance and Philip, Kenny goes to heaven, and everyone has a happy ending. 

           This movie was insanely funny. On top of celebrity voice performances by George Clooney, Brent Spiner, and Eric Idle, the main voice cast of South Park does an excellent job with this movie. The writing by Matt and Trey is top notch, and it definitely feels very huge in scale for South Park. Not only that, but the decision to make the movie a musical was a stroke of genius. The songs, including the Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada," were all terrific, with two of my favorites being "Mountain Town" and "Kyle's Mom's a B--ch." One thing that I found interesting was that Kenny's death in this movie was a plot point, as opposed to just a part of the show's running joke of Kenny getting killed in an over-the-top fashion. The idea of Kenny's death being part of the plot would be explored later on, but this was one of the first times that Kenny's death played a role in the plot. 

           Simply put, this is a movie for South Park fans, so if you're not really a fan of South Park, then I unfortunately can't recommend this movie. For my rating, I'm giving South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut a 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.