You are what you eat…
The most talked about comedy this summer has been “Sausage Party”. When the trailer first made its appearance this winter it set the internet on fire, sparking outrage and anticipation for the foul mouth hot dog and his friends. As summer moved along the TV spots and social media promos became more and more evident, along with most people I boarded the hype train. Sadly though like most films that rely heavily on advertising, this film was somewhat of a disappointment. A lot of the funny moments had already been viewed multiple times before the film’s release, had they used different clips less frequently the expectation may have been a tad different.
The story follows “Frank”, a wiener played by Seth Rogan who is excited for “Red, White, and Blue day” (Fourth of July). The goal of every item in the supermarket is to be chosen and head to “The Great Beyond”. Since “Red, White, and Blue day” is a certainty for hot dogs and buns, Frank plans his future with his Bun of a girlfriend. Once chosen the Hot Dogs and their friends soon learn that “The Great Beyond” isn’t exactly what they expected.
While disappointed with the end result, the writing for this film was far from a random profanity laced tirade that most believed it to be. Seth Rogan does a masterful job making light of current and past social conflicts as it relates to food. He touches on Nazi Germany, Israel/Palestine, and Native Americans just to name a few. While this film is going to offend a ton of people, Rogan touches on every major race/religion so no one is left without a joke or a laugh. If you go to see a movie about pot smoking hot dog and are hell bent on being tight, you aren’t going to have a good time.
All in all it is a funny film that I wished I had seen with no prior knowledge of the film itself. The laughs are there but they aren’t as unrelenting as expected. Near the end when it becomes more shock humor is when it is an all out assault on your sense of humor. Common sense has become a super power so obviously if you have young children – TAKE THE “R” RATING SERIOUSLY. Just because it is a cartoon does not make it ok for children. If you need examples there are plenty like “Team America”, “Eight Crazy Nights”, “South Park” ETC…
ROASTED RIPPER SCORE C+
(6.3/10 Wieners)