"That's a nice-a donut."

Friday, May 20, 2005

Team America: World Police

From the creators of the love-it or hate-it animated series South Park (for the record: I love) and movies such as BASEketball (I hate) comes the sometimes great, but also uneven and misguided, Team America: World Police. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have crafted a wild comedy using a team of patriotic puppets (or marionettes) to satirize nearly everything. Few stones are left unturned from the United States' involvement in foreign affairs, to the United Nations, Muslims, the French, evil North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Hollywood, action films, musicals, gays, patriotism in general, and many things in between.

The story focuses on a rag-tag band of global terrorism fighters based in Mount Rushmore. They suffer a setback, so must try to recruit another team member, Broadway star Gary Johnston. Since he is an accomplished actor, of course he would be perfect for spying. The team also includes a clairvoyant, a former Nebraska quarterback, the best martial artist in all of Detroit, a blonde, the suit who heads the team, and their I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E., a supercomputer. There are several deadly terrorist plots underway around the world that Team America must try to stop. Several historic monuments are accidentally destroyed along the way, including the Eiffel Tower and the Sphinx. Meanwhile, F.A.G. (the Film Actor's Guild) - led by the world's best actor, Alec Baldwin - take up the anti-war cause and zealously begin to organize protests. This all comes crashing together at a peace summit in North Korea.

It's swell to make fun of things, but I would have loved it if Parker and Stone had chosen a side, and sharpened the edge on its satire of the "War on Terror." There is plenty to ridicule, and they sidestep much of it. And where is the Bush administration? Hiding in a bunker? With regards to F.A.G., while some celebrity activists are certainly doing the pro-peace community no favors with some of their hyperbole and ill-advised rhetoric, it wasn't necessary to make them such a focal point of the movie. Some actors may be aloof or hypocrites, but no more so than many politicians, who are ripe for mockery and scorn.

But there are some wonderful, inspired moments in the film too. The much-discussed sex scene is hilarious and quite vulgar. If ever there were any doubt, that these puppets aren't for children, this would be it. Much of the film is a not-too-subtle jab at the mindless action blockbuster genre; Michael Bay is certainly the biggest victim. As they do on South Park, the musical is a key feature of their repertoire. One of the better songs features the lines "Pearl Harbor sucks, and I miss you" and "I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school." There is also the typical montage scene, featuring the montage song. Overall, many films are parodied including Pearl Harbor, Top Gun, and even Star Wars. It was a bold, but hilarious, move to leave the puppet strings visible in the picture.

In the end, Team America is a good - almost very good - effort. At its best, it is a multi-layered hard-hitting satire that might suggest different interpretations from different people. One person might interpret a scene as: America causes more harm then good. Another person might read it as: freedom isn't free. But both might think: "America, F*** Yeah!"

The Verdict: B.

Michael Bentley 9:14 AM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Friday, May 20, 2005

Archives