Sausage Party

Sausage Party

 (2016)

A Review by Grant Kanigan

Directed by: Greg Tiernan

Written by: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, 

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Jonah Hill

Starring: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton

Michael Cera, Salma Hayek, Nick Kroll,

David Krumholtz

Rating: 18A

Release Date: August 12th, 2016

Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton & Davod Krumholtz come to terms with their own mortality in Sausage Party
Image Source

     In a summer movie season filled with remakes, superhero movies and the umpteenth Pixar sequel, there's a lot more stale things than popcorn at the theatres. It's not that Hollywood has run out of ideas, it's that brand recognition and sequels simply make more money than original scripts. Sequels, adaptations and remakes take less time, less effort, and usually, (when we're talking remakes), are very cost effective. With that in mind, it was a letdown to see Seth Rogen's next project was yet another stoner comedy, satirizing Pixar's films, seeming to copy their visual style. Although I think Rogen is a brilliant comedic writer, I was a little tired of him this year. Neighbors 2 was great, but at this point it seemed like a Seth Rogen overload at the cineplex. However, once I saw Sausage Party, I had to eat my own words. Sausage Party is an original, unique, daring picture that rises above Rogen's other work through whip-smart satire, skillful exploration of touchy subject matter, intelligent philosophy and the most offensive film since Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Team America: World Police. 

     Sausage Party follows Frank, a plucky young hot dog waiting for the big July 4th celebration where he can finally be sold to a human and get lucky with his girlfriend Brenda, (Kristen Wiig), the bun who lives in the bag next to his on a supermarket shelf. Celebrating each morning with a song about how humans are gods who take food home to love and care for them for the rest of their lives, and how leaving the supermarket; "going to the great beyond" is the ultimate goal and achievement in the supermarket which Frank and Brenda reside, (i.e, it's food heaven), life is easy on the shelf. However, after a mishap which causes a bag of flour to explode and food to fly everywhere, (an absolutely hilarious spoof of the Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan), Frank and Brenda fall out of their bags and are left bagless and off the shelf in the supermarket. With only their limited experience, wit, a bagel named Sammy Bagel Jr., (Edward Norton doing a spot on Woody Allen impression), and a lavash named Kareem Abdul Lavash, (David Krumholtz), they must find the true answers to their existence, and get back to their shelf space before they go stale. 

     What seems like a run of the mill animated tale that could have been well at home at Pixar quickly turns dark - the Bagel and Lavash fight over their shelf space in a parallel to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, gay relationships are outlawed, there is racial tension between aisles, the Sauerkraut wants to rid the store of Juice... what first come off as dick jokes, stoner slang and toilet humour soon reveal themselves to be a deeper commentary of the real world we live in, (the film even mentions this in a brilliant moment of fourth wall breaking), politics, relationships, and religion. Somehow, Seth Rogen has made one of the most searing criticisms of modern society and the pitfalls of organized religion through a film about talking food that drops the C-word every two minutes. Although most of Rogen's films are now modern comedy classics, (Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express), Sausage Party is a little smarter, a little darker, and a hell of a lot funnier than anything he's done before. Sausage Party is Rogen and Seth Goldberg's magnum opus; throwing every comedic trick at the wall, and having all of them stick. Through Bouffon-style comedy, gallows humour, thick satire, and perfect comedic timing, Sausage Party showcases Rogen as a Swiftian satirist, gleefully approaching dangerous subject matter with complete fearlessness, (and ridiculousness). 

     Aside from the witty script, the film is also a competent display of technical skill. Partially departing from the ultra realistic or detailed films of Pixar or Dreamworks Animation, the crew behind Sausage Party carves out a nice niche between realistic and animated, showing a matte finish of the characters that gives them a real feel, but still lends itself to animation, coming off as a mix of claymation, old-school animation and new-school digital work; impressive, considering it's all digital, and cost about one-tenth of what a Pixar film does. The animation is fresh, interesting and visually engaging. Additionally, the voice work is great, and showcases a few actors who have an (until now), undiscovered talent, (Norton, Krumholtz, Kroll and Hader are all immersed in their characters voices, and their commitment shines through). 

     Overall, Sausage Party is the most profane film I've seen in a movie theatre; it makes Team America look like Bambi. It's definitely not appropriate for children whatsoever, and pushes the limits of taste. Yet, like all good comedy, the context of the film, (Frank having an existential crisis, and the merits of scientific thinking versus blind faith), warrant such offensively hilarious content, and show that free speech is a necessary and important right. I'm calling it now: with over-the-top, crass humour, shockingly violent moments, and an explosively hilarious sense of humour, Sausage Party is the hottest ticket of the summer, and the funniest film of 2016.

GRANT'S RATING: 5/5 STARS

Sausage Party Clip (NSFW): "Tweaking"