Reel Shorts | Sausage Party

maxresdefaultThe love story between a sausage and a hot dog bun is the jumping off point for one of the year’s most creative, yet bizarre set of overtly sexual puns and sight gags in the universally offensive, yet funny comedy, Sausage Party.

The story begins on the eve of the Fourth of July celebration inside a local supermarket as all of the food are excited about being chosen by humans to go out into the “great beyond.” In their minds, being chosen and taken out of the store leads to a lifetime of love and happiness, as the opening song establishes.

But the first cracks begin to show when Honey Mustard (Danny McBride) is returned and shares tales of gloom and doom. In the backdrop of this potential drama, Sausage Frank (Seth Rogen) and his lady love, Hot Dog Bun Brenda (Kristen Wiig) can’t wait to share their love. Not quite able to “fill her up,” the two agree to put the “tip in,” before their lives are turned upside down.

Soon the couple and a few of their friends, Sammy Bagel, Jr. (Edward Norton), a lavash, Vash  (David Krumholtz) and sexy Teresa Taco (Salma Hayek) are on the run from a vindictive and murderous Douche (Nick Kroll). Thanks to a triumvirate of non-perishables, Firewater (Bill Hader), Twink (Scott Underwood) and Grits (Craig Robinson) reveal the awful, horrific truth to Frank who must share it with everyone in the supermarket community.

The original story idea from Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Jonah Hill began with a simple question of what would it be like if the food had feelings? While the obvious answer is a tremendous level of discomfort for both humans and food, the screenplay also mixes in messages that could be spiritual in nature questioning the belief of faith vs reality.

This is easily the most uproariously funny, yet offensive film since South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. There are uncomfortable stereotypes everywhere and the film hints and later overwhelms your senses in the third act with what may either be the most shockingly funny sequence in any film this year or the most traumatizing.

While it is often said that Hollywood doesn’t create many new ideas, Sausage Party mightily dispels that theory. Crass, crude and visually overwhelming with in-your-face sophomoric sexuality, Rogen, and his crew have created a movie that you probably need to be as high on Firewater to maximize the experience of one of the year’s true comic pleasures . . . or maybe it will leave you emotionally traumatized, as well!!!

Grade: C+