Team America World Police(2004) Film Review

Cast: Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Directed by: Trey Parker

Rated R For Graphic Crude And Sexual Humor, Violent Images And Strong Language, All Involving Puppets

1hr 38min/98min.

117 uses of the F-word.



Team America World Police is a satirical comedy film spoofing the action genre, with puppets! I'm sure you all remember my hate-filled review of the film Meet The Feebles. In that review, I had called the film the worst film I had ever had the displeasure of seeing. However, where there is dark, there is also light. Team America is that light. This film is so smart, brilliant and funny that I have given it the prestigeous honor of being my favorite comedy film of all time and my second favorite film of all time. The film has that rare quality of every single joke being a hit and not a single one being a  miss, it's just that good. The film was written by the comedic geniuses behind South Park and the 1999 film South Park Bigger Longer & Uncut, Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Directed by Trey Parker. This film parodies and satarizes the action genre and all of the generic and patriotic cliches that come with every action film like Pearl Harbor and Die Hard.

The opening scene of the film features the title team as they are heading to Paris For a mission. As they try to take down the terrorists with the Weapons of Mass Destruction. Carson who is the Head teamate, proposes to the female lead, Lisa, but things take a turn for the worse as Carson is suddenly gunned down by a terrorist thought to be dead. The Team Leader, Spottswoode recruits a boradway actor name Gary Johnston who at first refuses but then agrees after taking a car ride through various places of America. Their newest mission is to take down Kim Jong Ill and the Film Actors Guild who want to destroy the world with Weapons Of Mass Destruction. But they have to move quickly because the nuclear strike is moving in fast.

The film poitns out all of the action cliches like the head Teamate being gunned down or killed in any way shape or form before he can Pop the question to the main female teamate. We also have the cliche of the standard characters in action films. We have Gary who represents the hotshot celebrity who's parents were tragically killed while he was a child yet thinks he is to good for the team at first. We have Lisa who is of course Gary's love intrest but doesn't quite know if she can get over the loss of Carson that quickly. Then we have Chris who is set up to have this tough guy persona and doesn't quite like the fact that someone is replacing a lifelong Teamate. We have Sarah who has been lifelong friends with Lisa and would do anything for her. Then finally, there is Joe who is the humbled innocence of the group. There is also the cliche of the action movie montage accompanied by a song called "Montage". "Show a lot of things, happening at once, remind everyone of whats goin' on! That's called a Montage!". Those are just some of the brilliant lyrics in the film. The film also represents a musical wih such classic songs like, "Pearl Harbor Sucks"(The film not the actuall event), "Freedom Isn't Free", "Everyone Has AIDS", and the song that symbolizes the whole film, "America F*** YEAH!". I like how the last song I mentioned symolizes the over-patriotic ways action films are now.

The film also has the distinct notion of being extremly Unpolitically correct including raciall stereotypes and homophobic undertones. But in a film where a marionette style version of the late Kim Jong Ill is singing a song entitled "I'm So Ronrey" it doesn't really bother you that much. Parker and Stone are known for making fun of celbrities and that is no exception here with such people being satrized like, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon and Michael Moore. The film does not have a single dull moment in it. The film has all of the dirty and questionable humor like in South Park only the dial is cranked up so high that it's broken. Team America is a movie that you should take caution. If you can deal with an over the top sex scene thats reminiscent of a G.I. Joe and a Barbie doll and a 60 second long puking scene than I say, go for it.