South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

You've gotta love an underdog. These days, it seems odd to consider South Park an "underdog" in anything, the program having been a Comedy Central heavyweight for more than 10 years. But Bigger, Longer & Uncut came out in 1999, when the show was less than two years old, and still very much focused on potty humor. Such an undertaking must have seemed more than a bit risky at the time, but looking back, it was a blessing. It allowed creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to use their unconventional methods to create a smart, enjoyable political satire and one of the most surprising films of the year. (Come on, would most people really have expected anything remotely quality from a show whose first episode involved an extraterrestrial anal probe?)

Part of the success comes from the hilarious musical numbers dotted throughout the 80-minute film, which, unlike many Broadway pieces, don't induce headaches. After the cheerful opener "Mountain Town," the four boys - Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman - go to the movies to see an R-rated film of their own favorite TV show, Terrance and Philip. Predictably, their parents find out and proceed to launch an all-out war against Canada. Through it all - Canadian attacks on B-list American acting families, a song called "Uncle Fucka" and even a relationship between Satan and Saddam Hussein - Parker and Stone manage to make the movie fly by and leave you wanting more at the end.

Cameos by George Clooney, Eric Idle and Mike Judge are a treat, but such is the level of entertainment of the movie that they're really unnecessary. Bigger, Longer & Uncut would get by on its own, a gut-busting blend of the South Park you'd see on TV and more intelligent, politically-tinged humor. (Of course, we'd get more of the same later, with Team America - World Police, but the puppets ultimately can't match Parker and Stone's original brainchild.)

Seeing this after seeing last summer's Simpsons Movie flop casts South Park into a league of its own - it's a TV show that succeeds in a big-screen adaptation. The Simpsons took too long to make the jump- after 18 years, there's really only so many risks you can take without damaging the name. Some might bring up Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead Do America, which I'll admit was a very likable adaptation. But the difference is that Beavis and Butthead still felt very much like an extended television episode. South Park ambitiously took the next step - it transcended its television roots and was truly a MOVIE, and an excellent one at that.

3 stars out of 4
7.75/10