In need of some laughs to lighten an intense week, I turned to the latest from the guys who brought is "This Is The End" and "Pineapple Express", SAUSAGE PARTY.
A decidedly adult animated comedy, it tells the story of all the foods inside a local supermarket, all of whom start each day (and the film) with a big musical number.
Called "The Great Beyond" its meant to be a clever anthem setting up the doors outside the store as the gates to heaven and each of the shoppers as Gods that may just pick the foods up and take them to the great beyond.
We have Jonah Hill as Carl and Michael Cera as Barry, two wieners dreaming of finally meeting a bun and lusting after Brenda (a very underutilized Kristen Wiig).
Seth Rogan is Frank (another wiener, obviously) and James Franco, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride provide the voices for other foods.
Real standouts are Bill Hader as Firewater and a Tequila bottle, both fall over funny characters, Selma Hayek as an adventurous Taco and Edward Norton as a Woody Allen inspired bagel.
Satirizing organized religion is a delicate business. When it's done brilliantly, like the musical "The Book of Mormon", it's thought-provoking, smart and hilarious.
It feels from the first frame like that's what our boys are going for here, but to say they fall short is a vast understatement.
It feels forced, harsh, too on point to be satire and too simplistic to rise beyond shock comedy.
There are pieces of great ideas here, but they sink under the weight of far too much profanity. The screenwriters seem to think f-bombs are punctuation and belong in every sentence and it all just becomes numbing after awhile.
Matt Parker and Trey Stone's "Book of Mormon" is profane as well, but in measure and only in bursts, giving their message and words a lot more power. SAUSAGE PARTY plays like a high school stoner's version of "clever", driving a smirk instead of laughter.
The end seems to try and set up a sequel, but I think these groceries are as over-baked as the screenwriters and I hope this is the last we've seen of these not so tasty foods.
SAUSAGE PARTY is well past it's expiration date and gets a C.
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