MOVIE REVIEW: Sausage Party

Sausage Party (2016)

Animation, Comedy

Directed By: Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon

For the past nearly twenty years, since Pixar first released Toy Story there has been one giant question plaguing all of our minds; When will someone turn this gorgeous medium into the raunchy, profanity infused, sex comedy we all need? Okay, maybe I am the only one who has been thinking this but ever since news of this movie first caught my attention some three years ago I've been quietly ecstatic for its potential existence. It didn't come quick but it eventually got there and the first ever R rated digitally animated feature from the team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg has finally hit theaters, and oh boy is it a doozy. Never in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought I would see a major film of this nature. 

We knew from early on that this would be a movie centering on foods in a grocery store and their reactions to finding out what happens when they are taken home by a customer. Food finding out that is actually eaten alive rather accepted into "The Great Beyond" is a brilliant idea just on the comedic potential alone. Had you told me that Rogen and Goldberg would go the extra ten miles and turn this into one of the most honest and relevant movies about religion and its effect on humanity of recent memory I'd have called you crazy. Yet here I am, just a few days after seeing the movie telling you that Sausage Party, an animated movie about talking food, has more to say about the state of the world than almost anything else you will see this year. 

On the surface the film works brilliantly as a raunchy, slapstick comedy using foul language and taboo subject matter to its advantage. That means if you are simply going to see this movie to laugh you are most likely going to leave a happy person, from the opening scene to the absolutely insane finale there is little room for breathing with jokes coming at you in rapid fire. The movie attacks any and every kind of person in the world leaving no one safe from its criticism, which in turns brings laughs for any kind of person as long as you aren't easily offended. 

When you dig slightly deeper than the surface comedy this movie actually has something to say. It's obvious the story is drawing religious comparisons right out of the gate with the introduction of the food's belief of "The Great Beyond" and there reference to humans as "gods" but when actually paying attention to the dialogue and characters you realize it has something to say about those beliefs. It's not necessarily looking to stir the pot even, yeah they are saying some controversial things but the message at the core of it all is pretty simple; live your life the way that makes you happy and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. 

The message is there for those who want to see it but for those looking to just have some laughs this is all easy to overlook. When you have such talented comedians like Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, and Jonah Hill as well as pure talent like Salma Hayek and Edward Norton it's hard not enjoy what they are bringing to the table. If you are worried that the only appeal to this movie is watching animated food say curse words you need not worry, they find plenty of other ways to make you laugh than just the novelty of the idea.

I'm sure many of you are also wondering how the digital animation played out, as we have only really seen it be used for children's and family movies. To be honest it takes a few minutes to get used to, the atmosphere is so familiar but the content is so wildly different that you have to let yourself adjust. Even so there were points in the movie that I couldn't believe things were happening and I had to remind myself that this movie has a hard R rating. In the end I found this added to my enjoyment of the experience, my prior connection to this medium and family entertainment left me more than baffled countless times, it's a trip.

Rogen and Goldberg's work, as popular as it is, has never been for everyone. They make comedies that push the taboo's of our society and poke fun at the things we hold most dear to us, but that's what comedy is supposed to do. I'm sure Sausage Party will piss off more than its fair share of thin skinned movie goers and easily angered parents but the fact it even exists is a win for humanity in my book. The final fifteen or so minutes are more hilarious than maybe anything else I have ever seen in a movie theater. That being said, if you do not like super raunchy and inappropriate comedy then maybe pass on this one or at least don't yell at me for loving every second of it. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @zachWWMovies, smell ya later!