Written by Raffman - October 18th, 2004
Team America : World Police (2004)
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristin Miller, Masasa, Daran Norris
Director: Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Rated: R
Rating: * * *
Discuss this movie in our Forums!
While Team America won't necessarily win Best Drama at the ever-approaching Acadamy Awards this spring, it will easily rank among college students around the nation as one of the funniest movies of the year. From the constant bashing of Hollywood and the liberal left a la Michael Moore, to the hysterical impersonations of the Disney-crazed Kim Jong Il, this movie is for lack of a better word, delicious. I've personally been counting the days for this movie to come out, and when I went with my incredibly sexy girlfriend this past Friday to see it, I was happy to know that my high expectations had been met. Since my major is Political Science with a specializaion in International Relations, this movie just had a wierd appeal to me. While South Park the Movie may be my favorite comedy of all time, Team America proposed the possibility of dethroning it. You see, I'm fascinated with Kim Jong Il, the crazy, goofy-looking dictator of North Korea. Once I saw that he was one of the main characters in the previews I fucking started salivating because I knew it'd be hilarious. If you know nothing about Mr. Jong, let me indulge you for a second. This man is crazy. I'm not just talking about how he oppresses his people or how his country is the #1 proliferator of missile technology, I'm going deeper to the wierd shit. Kim Jong Il, believe it or not, is a complete Disney fanatic. Fanboy, if you will. He owns every fucking Disney collectible figurine and movie ever created, and probably cried his eyes out when Walt Disney died. Just seeing pictures of this guy makes me smile, let alone seeing him as a puppet with huge, square glasses and an awesome lisp. To Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone, my hat is off to you. Team America fuckin rocks.
As far as the plot goes, Team America is pretty self-explantory. If you get lost in this movie's plot you should go back to Walgreen's and see if your ADD prescription is ready. To make a short story even shorter, the plot revolves around international terrorism and North Korea as its sponsor. With Kim Jong behind the wheel, a huge plan is set forth to detonate dozens of "WMD's" around the world, with America and it's allies as the main targets. Team America, however, attempts to stop the attack with a plan of their own. They begin by recruiting Gary, the main character of the film, to lead them in their quest. A Trey Parker and Matt Stone movie wouldn't be complete however without somehow making fun of the Baldwin family, as Kim Jong Il persaudes Alec Baldwin to ally with him, along with the rest of Hollywood that includes hilarious depictions of Helen Hunt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, and many more. Again, this plot is ridiculously simple. If you get lost, well, I'm surprised you've made it to this page.
Throughout the film I noticed a couple of interesting things that peaked my curiosity. With a presidential election coming up, there were some things in Team America that made me wonder. Personally, I'm a republican and a proud supporter of George W. Bush. While I know that many of my readers and friends are not, I try and keep my articles and reviews completely objective. Before seeing this film I knew that the overwhelming majority of Hollywood is on the left, and absolutely despise the President and his position on international relations. So to me, seeing prominent liberal figures getting torn-apart in Team America led me to conclusions that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are on the other end of the spectrum. There are countless incidents that demonstrate this, even besides the obvious ones. Take for example the French and the "Terrorists"; the French are absolutely torn apart in this movie, along with the entire Middle Eastern population. While I'm pretty sure of my conclusion, I do think there's another possibility that the South Park creators were trying to achieve. They may have created this movie with all its subliminal, political messages to put our country in their perspective, which to the average viewer is an ultra- conservative, pro-imperialistic state with no cares for anyone else in the world. Whether or not Parker and Stone are really conservative or not is up for grabs, but I think it's a good possibility. Hell, I'm in a similar situation; I'm a conservative college student at an extremely liberal university. Although, the majority if not all universities and colleges are naturally liberal. But enough with this, it's all speculation really.
Team America hands down is one of the funniest, raunchies movies of the year. While I don't think it was as good and original as South Park The Movie, it comes damn close, and is well worth the outrageous theater prices to go see it. If you're French or from the Middle East, then you may not want to see this movie. If you don't fall into one of those two categories, then go grab a few of your friends and see it tonight. It's a great way to take your mind off classes and it's sure to cure that "Case of the Monday's" you probably have. The Kim Jong Il impersonations alone are well worth the ticket prices, not to mention the countless other ones that help this movie shine. Lastly, see if you can figure out who Trey Parker and Matt Stone plan on voting for, because I think they make it pretty clear in the movie. Hell, even Hans Blix and Sean Penn said they loved it, which is saying something!
Discuss this movie in our Forums!
[ Back to Movie Reviews ]
[ Back to Front Page ]