Customer Reviews

Team America: World Police - (Unrated Widescreen Special Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(294)
4 star:		(108)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(40)
1 star:		(53)

 

 

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have a unique ability to blend the nuanced with the obvious, to mix cerebral humor with cheap sight gags and fart jokes. If this appeals to you (watch an episode of "South Park" if you are unsure), and you don't mind having your sacred cows slaughtered and made into taco fillings, this film is a must-see --for repeated viewings.

Mad dictator Kim Jong Il plans to subvert Hollywood and become the megaproliferant of the stars. Who can stop him? Only Team America, a gang of ultra-right wing marionettes who think Rush Limbaugh is suspiciously liberal. But don't fret, conservatives: Hollywood pinkos and Michael Moore take a beating, too. Nothing is sacred to Parker and Stone.

Puppets were a mad choice for a medium, but they are done hysterically. I don't know what had me laughing more, the whiskey glass soldered to the team leader's hand, or the thought of the splinters and friction fire from marionette sex!

The sound track alone makes this film worth it. "Freedom isn't Free" could have been a real country hit and Kim singing "I'm so ronery" had my wife blowing her cola out her nose in the theater!

If you are straight-laced, have a poor sense of humor and can't admit it, or can't laugh at yourself, this may not be you're film. If you've got a slightly warped sense of humor, you'll love this!

Anyone that grew up in the sixties with the original "Thunderbirds" marionette "cartoon"/show can appreciate this film. Once I saw the trailer I knew it was a spoof on marionettes. No one else seemed to get it. There are no holds barred on this film, it is a world wide satire on EVERYTHING!! They make fun of marionettes (some call them "puppets", but that is a misnomer), the U.S., Iraq, North Korea, actor-activists, you name it. If anyone has told you that it leans this way or that politically, they are mistaken, it is all over the place. No one is safe. This film is absolutely hilarious. Period. One warning though, DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS SEE THIS! It is filthy.

I think it's funny that people from other countries don't think that we in the U.S. would think it was funny. Just shows how they THINK that they know us and they don't know us at all! Most U.S. citizens do not fit into this stereotype. Someone is watching too many hollywood movies!

[...]

After I had dried my eyes from the tears of laughter; after the 'theme song' with its catchy headline ("America, f... yeah, got to save the m.....f...... world") had finally stopped bouncing around in my head; after I managed to stop chuckling quietly, or not-so-quietly, occasioning my wife and daughters to look at me oddly and shaking their heads; after sleeping over it for a night...I finally asked myself whether it was really necessary to be quite as vulgar to get a point across: whatever that point may have been.

The answer, I decided, was 'yes', for, in its contrast with the piss-takes on the universe of Hollyweird movies and the merciless and welcome satire on the theme of actors-and-other-insignificants-turned activists, it makes a serious statement, more profound than any learned discussion is ever likely to produce (or me, writing this!). Tray Parker made it explicit it in an interview with 60 Minutes: "Society is our only hope".

Indeed. And society consists of human beings, most of whom have a definite element of vulgarity. I wonder if it isn't true to say that _everybody_ has a core of vulgarity, even if it's covered up by the layers upon layers of thin and fragile veneer. American society evidences this vulgarity more openly than many others, though that isn't an indication that it actually _is_ more vulgar than, say, some of those European nations, who consider themselves more 'refined' and 'cultured'.

The final speech by the actor 'Gary', in front of an assembly of 'world leaders' captivated by the vapid utterances and platitudes of 'Alec Baldwin' (Parker-and-Stone's satire is without mercy or fear) is a vulgar, graphic and utterly to-the-point summary of the essence of Amercian society, what it stands for and against; on those who stand against it; and on the fundamental substance of the 'War on Terror'.

TA:WP not a movie for the faint-hearted, and it has a truly disturbing sequence (and I don't mean the one with the puppets having sex, and at some length) that had the audience dead-silent. But Gary's final verbal show-off against 'Alec', with its extensive and extended use of genital and anal metaphors, was a profoundly patriotic (and screamingly-funny) tirade that surely must go down as one of the most outrageous monologues in film history.

[...]

I just saw the sneak preview of this film, and I, along with everyone else in the theater, did not stop laughing for more than 45 seconds at a time. From the brilliant songs (the one mocking 'Pearl Harbor' comes to mind), to the complete and utter absurdity of everything that was on screen, this will go down as a work of genius. God bless this film! AMERICA! F*CK YEAH!!

"Without doubt, one of the most hysterical parodies ever!"

Given the current world political climate, Trey Parker and Matt Stone hit the ball right out of the park with this film. I haven't laughed so hard so frequently in a theater in years! This was simply amazing.

The sheer goofy look and movement of the deliberately low-tech puppet bodies, combined with their high-tech heads and incredibly elaborate sets, makes for some truly classic moments. When the World Police thoughtfully swoop down to take out a handful of terrorist, while simultaneously destroying much of the surrounding city in the process, you can't help but laugh at the irony. Can you say "collateral damage"?

And the overly extended scene of the two lead puppets engaging in the obligatory sex scene had me laughing so uncontrollably that I thought they'd have to take me out of the theater on a stretcher. Oh my Lord was that funny. It was one of those rare movie moment that had me laughing days later just thinking about it.

Not only do Parker and Stone mercilessly poke fun at the silly, over-the-top nature of certain Hollywood filmmakers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay (e.g., his nearly unwatchable "Pearl Harbor"), but they also take the public personas of world leaders like North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il and practically feed them into a wood chipper. How this film didn't spark an international PR incident with North Korea is just astounding to me.

What makes their political edge so refreshing and sidesplitting is they're willingness to take on everybody, rather than merely bolstering a right- or left-wing view. And the merciless way they go after Hollywood celeb-activists was profoundly funny. Too often I've been sickened by the overly simplistic mentality that comes from the mouths of certain actors when they use their status as public figures to comment on the world affairs. Parker and Stone portray acting notables like Penn, Baldwin, Robbins, Sarandon, and Garofalo as complete idiots, who are as easily herded about by Kim Jong-Il as so many sheep. Matt Damon is practically a troglodyte who is so stupid that all his brain can manage is to say his name over and over again.

Like "South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut," this film has numerous musical numbers that are used to punctuate the humor of various scenes. The song "America, F**k Yeah!" once again practically had me on the floor, especially when it was uses a second time but with a much slower beat. The level of adult humor and vulgarity here will probably not make this film suitable for small kids, and much of the political edginess may be lost on most teenagers. But if there were a category for "Best Comedy Film," Parker and Stone would both win an Oscars, hands down!

I have not laughed this hard for a long time. The geniuses, Parker and Stone, from South Park deserve an Oscar. AND OUCH do they GIVE it to all the liberal Actors out there and I mean they REALLLLLY make fun of the Michael Moore's, Sean Penn's, Susan Sarandon's, Jeneane Garfolo's and Tim Robbins. Unmerciful, Savage, Intellectual Ridicule of these self righteous liberal lunatics....The AUDIENCE LOVED every minute of IT to. Many WHOOPS, CLAPPING, WHISTLING AND HOLLARING..during the Actor Roasting Scenes. Its about time somebody ridiculed those Hollywood EGO's.(Its all over the Internet that Sean Penn Apparently is NOT amused LOL and wrote Stone and Parker a letter about it telling them as much..see Drudge Report for copy of letter)They weren't the only ones that got savaged by Stone and Parker in this film. There is something for everyone. There was laughter every two minutes I swear it throughout the whole film! The music, the vicious satire of Bruckenheimer Films, The infamous Doll Sex Scene....Nonstop laughter. It goes on and on. A comic masterpiece. I pray it does 300 million dollars at the box office it deserves it. I'm GOING AGAIN! DOWN WITH the Film Actors Guild. Team America..(blank) YEAH! ROFL

A lot of reviewers have complained that the puppet work in this film was so obvious that it distracted the reviewers from the plot. Frankly, I liked the way the director made sure the audience understood these weren't animations or CGI's. The director was working in a medium that hearkens back to the obviousness, simplicity, and, yes, childishness, of Punch & Judy, Howdy Doody, and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie.

The plot wasn't any dumber that an 007 James Bond flic and the lashing the writers gave the Left, the Right, and International Terrorism was in perfect harmony with young, bright, clever minds who see hypocrisy and danger in every political posture. Honestly, I found Team America's message easier to accept than Michael Moore's recent stuff.

I really liked this film and I thought the production values-- expensive sets, great musical numbers, clever work with marionettes' clothes, facial expressions, and "intimate" connections-- showed the producers weren't working on the cheap. And, I laughed a lot. A whole lot.

South Park creators Parker and Stone have outdone themselves with this puppet show inspired in it's appearance by the wonderful Gerry Anderson "Supermarionation" TV show from the 1960's, Thunderbirds (available on DVD if you've never seen it). However, beyond the puppets and model aircraft, this show is nothing like a Gerry Anderson kids' show. The humor ranges from making fun of poor quality movies and bad acting to slamming extreme political views on both the right and left, and does a great job throughout the entire range.

The only flaws in this film seem to come in the same area that is a problem in some episodes of South Park, which is that there is no self-restraint at all and some jokes are just crude or gross without being particularly clever or funny. However, those few scenes that left me and the rest of the audience cringing or silent were far outweighed by the ones where we laughed very loudly and for quite some time. Examples of some great moments are:

-A whole song devoted to how bad the film Pearl Harbor was, how it missed the significance of that tragic event, and what a mediocre actor is Ben Affleck.
- The awkardness of the puppets. Gerry Anderson used to go to great lengths to hide how funny it looked when the puppets walked, but Parker and Stone closely show you just how awkward the puppets are when walking and doing other human activities (e.g., having sex), to great comic effect.
- Team America is eager to do good, but they "break" a lot of stuff doing it, often doing more damage than the bad guys they are chasing.
- The song during the closing credits. It's hilarious, so be sure to stay through the credits and keep your ears open.

In spite of its flaws, this is one of the sharpest comedies to come along in a while. The DVD version is loaded with extra features including "making of" documentaries about the process used for creating and animating the puppets. Go Team!

The UPSIDE: This movie has got to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life! Hilarious! I never had such a fun time being politically incorrect as I did watching `Team America'! I laughed until I cried, throughout the film. With one-liners that you'll quote everywhere you go & songs that are so funny...it will make you want to buy the soundtrack twice! You feel stupid walking into the theater to see this movie, but you'll walk out feeling like a patriot.
The DOWNSIDE: There are some jokes that drag on too long, like the puppet sex scene. But you can't expect a movie to be PERFECT...that's just stupid. Many jokes go into great details about 'the birds & the bees'. So don't bring any child into 'Team America', that doesnt know about sex. (Unless you feel like answering a LOT of questions after the movie.) This movie was made for teens, but written for adults. And sometimes vice versa. Before taking anyone under the age of 15 to this movie...remember this: it's R for a reason.
SUMMED UP: If you're looking for a good time at the movie theaters...see it! You won't regret it. After seeing it, if you don't think this film is funny at all...then you have no sense of humor!

What's wrong with all of the "1-stars" that this film received by my fellow reviewers and the elite media is a blind adherence to political propaganda. The naysayers of Team America say that, among many things, that the neo-conservatives get a free ride, Kim Jong Il doesn't look half as vile as the Hollywood actors guilty of "having opinions," etc. They ignore the fact that the team receives commands from a computer which is an obvious play on Karl Rove/Dick Cheney and their roles in the administration. There are many situations where Parker and Stone parody the right.

If these critics could take off their PETA t-shirts and Green Peace membership personas for 2 seconds, they could see that the movie is actually quite funny. The songs are extremely well-done and the movie not only satirizes current events, but Hollywood and many high-key films (Star Wars, Pearl Harbor -- which sucked horribly --, and others). The parody is well done and while the jokes and dialog can be very childish, the fact that it's coming from a puppet with inherent irony in seemingly simple statements is astounding.

Again, if you can remove yourself from PETA for an hour and a half (and while you're at it, have a nice steak) you will find the hilarity that is Team America.

And as an end-note, while Team America has many conservative overtones, the main parody of the movie, the U.S. military as world police, is an attack on the so called neo-conservatives. They are depicted as non-caring and simple. I'm a Bush voter and was able to see the satire, and even humor, at that side of the debate.

If you're going to complain about the single conservative-toned film which also takes shots at it's own mistakes in public policy, you might want to go see any other Hollywood film with an abundance of comfortable political overtones that may satisfy your desire for the easy, non-challenging road your life has already taken you. For Green Peace and PETA members, The Day After Tomorrow won't challenge any of your dear political point of views and will be sure not to cause you to think about anything outside of your comfortable and blind political allegiances.