Directed by: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Written by: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill
Starring: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill
This is definitely one of the more memorable films I've seen lately. This movie is pure shock value most of the time, so much so that regardless of what you think of it, the film will definitely leave an impression. It also, however, sports a very well done visual aesthetic and a fair share of clever jokes alongside the offensive ones.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
We're presented with a world where the food at the supermarket is sentient, and believes that the people that shop there are 'gods' that will take them away to 'the great beyond'. The story follows one lively sausage named Frank (Rogen) who begins to investigate the truth after a jar of honey mustard is returned and kills himself so that he doesn't get chosen again. Frank quickly discovers that this idea of 'the great beyond' was created by the non-perishable foods in order to stop everyone from freaking out about the truth, that they're really taken to be mutilated and eaten in order to sate the hunger of the gods. It's a dark revelation and it feels like an adult take on Disney and Pixar films like Toy Story.
The film is extremely violent, sexual and vulgar; it's all played for laughs and ends up being hilariously disgusting.
The violence is particularly hilarious because of its creative references. One scene is essentially the same as part of the opening of Saving Private Ryan, only with food; a banana's face peels off, an Oreo picks up its back half and carries it with him, a jar of peanut butter tries to put a jar of jam back together; it's all terrible violence shown through a cute, candy-coloured lense. Another scene involves the cooking of a meal, which is pretty funny because it shows the perspective of the human in between all of the screaming and death; what is innocuous to us is horrifying to food.
The vulgarity is less charming. Sure, it's pretty funny the first time you hear an animated sausage or hot dog bun swear or make a racist comment, but as you come to expect that sort of thing, it becomes less funny.
This is actually a slight problem that I had with the movie overall: the shock humour was often not that funny. Part of this is likely due to the trailers for the film; since the trailers often used some of the shock jokes, the ones that I saw in the film that were from the trailers weren't as funny the second time around. Another part of this is simply that the film harps on a few of the same set of jokes again and again. I've already mentioned the incessant swearing, but there's also a pile of Muslim and Jewish jokes, and some stereotype jokes based on the nationalities of food. It's funny at first because you don't expect the film to go as far as it does, but much of the film' lustre is lost when you can see the jokes coming because you've already heard them.
I won't comment much on the film's sexual content, but I will say that the film goes way further than I could've possibly expected. While the film felt like it had run out of surprises by its end, it still managed to disgust and horrify me in a way I doubt most people unfamiliar with the movie will see coming.
Aside from the film's shocks, there are some pretty hilarious and stupid puns based on product names. A douche named Douche (Nick Kroll) is literally the douche character in the film. It's obvious, and silly, and it still got a laugh out of me when I first heard it. A lot of jokes surrounding Douche are simple puns. He says 'how do you like them apples'? and some apples pipe up and say 'who, us?'. He shows up and says 'Okay, so-' before being interrupted by some Queso. It's simple jokes like this that keep the film entertaining when the shocks stop working.
I should also comment on the animation before I finish. There's a delightfully Disney-like look to the film, and seems absolutely intentional given the film's efforts to subvert what we've come to expect from children's films. Most of the characters have black, stick-figure legs and white gloves with black outline, very similar to Mickey Mouse. This is especially noticeable when characters make flurried movements, as their hands become a blur in a similar way to classic Disney cartoons as well.
The Verdict: Sausage Party tries to be exceedingly offensive to as many people, constantly earning a laugh through shock value. Beyond that, the film shows off good animation and art style, a plot like a twisted take on animated tales like Toy Story, and at least a few jokes more clever than having an animated food say 'f*ck' for the tenth time over. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind being offended or having their eyes assaulted, and I'd ask that people please keep this away from children.
Rating: 6.5/10
Published August 11th, 2016
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