The guilty pleasure of 'Team America'

Washington Times ^ | 5/27/05

[ambrose]

The guilty pleasure of 'Team America'

By Gary Arnold

The most astonishing and hilarious movie of last year, "Team America: World Police," finally has made its belated transition from theatrical to home-video release. The adventure-flick parody from "South Park's" Trey Parker and Matt Stone ridicules in one fell swoop the U.S. war on terror, a lucrative Hollywood genre, Kim Jong-il, several Hollywood stars and their most conspicuous political propagandist, Michael Moore.

It was never in the cards that such a movie would be in serious contention for Academy Awards. Nevertheless, "Team America," a marvel of satirical perversity and technical craftsmanship, deserved the Oscar for best animated feature and nominations for best art direction, visual effects, cinematography, editing and costume design. The DVD edition,released May 17 and retailing for $29.98, provides behind-the-scenes featurettes showcasing many of the people responsible for the movie's conceptual effrontery and pictorial sophistication.

"Team America" hit on a happily brazen way of cutting Hollywood down to size, literally as well as figuratively: The characters are played by 2-foot marionettes.

The timing of its theatrical release was dandy. This uninhibited smack-down of Hollywood cliches and pieties appeared in the wake of a long summer of derision aimed at President Bush and his re-election aspirations. The one-sided malice began with Mr. Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and continued through such summertime monstrosities as "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Manchurian Candidate."

[Dog Gone]

Lisa is a babe.

[Dog Gone]

Susan Sarandon didn't fare too well.

[rwfromkansas]

Oh, I have heard about that company. Thanks for the reminder.

Apparently the MSRP is 29.98 or something according to the article, but nobody is charging that much (or the article is just flat wrong about that....perhaps the reporter accidentally hit the two instead of the one).

[discostu]

None of them really fared well, about the best they could hope for was to be largely ignored. But they really picked on the loudest mouths. My favorite was Tim Robbins because I swear I've had conversations with liberals where they basically said "and then they're all corporationy".

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Waiting for my copy now..."

Netflix just e-mailed me. Mine is to be here tomorrow! Neener-neener! Guess I won't be getting anything else done then, LOL!

[Sofa King]

Pearl Harbor sucked...... and I love you

[Dog Gone]

That was an outstanding line, but then there were SO MANY of them.

No way was Hollywood going to honor the film with an Oscar, but I haven't been to a more enjoyable film in decades.

The alley scene had me rolling on the theater floor, down there with all the spilled popcorn and cokes.

[LibertarianInExile]

"You had me at 'd---s f--- a-----s'."

ROFLMAO.

I'd forgotten that line. And I am proud to say I saw it coming ALL THE WAY.

[Thoro]

and retailing for $29.98

Talk about sticker shock. The movie is great, but 29.98 is the price of a tv dvd set, not a movie.

Most of the stores I've seen it in have it "On Sale!" for twenty bucks.

That is outrageous. I will wait until they have a copy at thet local used movie store and I can get it for 7 bucks.

This is one reason I still love the rental store. You can pick up new dvd movies for ten bucks or less.

My brother and I were in the super market the other day. He picked up half-gallon of iced tea, looked at the sticker, and said to me: "It cost just as much as freedom. A buck O five."

[nutmeg]

LOL... I assume that is Michael Moore. I've got to see this movie!

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Where's our buddy? We're fast approaching 100 posts, and no rants about South Punks and the utter ruin Parker and Stone have brought to America.

I'll tell you, things just aren't the same without some longfaced puritan telling us we're all going to hell because we enjoy satire. :^)

[E Rocc]

George Clooney also enjoyed their portrayal of him. He said he would have felt let down if they didn't include him in the film

Clooney was one of the first South Park fans (he passed "Spirit of Christmas" around to a bunch of people in the industry before there was even the concept of a show). He barked the role of "Sparky the Gay Dog".

-Eric

[EveningStar]

Where's our buddy?

Banned - as of December 24, 2004

[EveningStar]

I had to give Clooney props on that, in spite of his politics. :)

[Dutchgirl]

laughing so hard...

Ditto...all the while exclaiming- "Don't tell the kids I laughed at this part!"

[FormerACLUmember]

Sean Penn: Last year I went to Iraq. Before Team America showed up, it was a happy place. They had flowering meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children danced and laughed and played with gumdrop smiles.

[E Rocc]

I had to give Clooney props on that, in spite of his politics. :)

Jennifer Anniston as the convert to rainforest development had the best celebrity role of them all . >:)

Except for Chef. Chef rocks.

-Eric

[CheneyChick]

"What would yew dew...."

[ambrose]

try Amazon.

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

'Tis a shame. I enjoyed watching him make a fool of himself, and no, I don't think he was either Parker or Stone trying to raise publicity, but just some misguided, well, Old Cracker. ;^)