The land of the crude animated movie is hardly one that's new to the Hollywood industry. From big-screen versions of the likes of South Park and Aqua Teen Hunger Force to original fare Akira and Anomalisa, it's nothing outright special as, say, a modern R-rated superhero movie (Deadpool), but with Sausage Party – the latest project from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express, This is the End) – all eyes have been thrust forward to what they're bringing to the metaphorical dinner table. For you see, they've brought about an animated project that, if not for the overt swearing and sexual references, would fit right in with the likes of Pixar and Illumination Entertainment; complete with the Toy Story premise of "what if ____ were alive?" that's lead to The Secret Life of Pets earning big bucks in the family market. But made for a cheap $19m (perhaps due to the unpaid animators who have since made attempts of fighting back) and with a cavalcade of comedic actors – including Edward Norton of all people – taking part, can these vulgar products muster up a good meal?
Independence Day is right around the corner, and for the inhabitants of a Shopwell's supermarket, it means one thing: a large possibility of being chosen to go on to "The Great Beyond". Every morning, the products sing about being chosen and how great it’ll be to be free, and pray that they get picked by the Gods before they're chosen to be thrown away. At one point, it appears that hot dog couple Frank the Sausage and Brenda the Bun (Rogen and Kristen Wiig) will finally be free to carry out their urges, but when a replaced jar of Honey Mustard (Danny McBride) tries to reveal all and commit suicide, it leads to the couple – alongside a Middle Eastern lavash (David Krumholtz) and a Jewish bagel (Norton) – falling out of the trolley and at risk of being thrown away. Coming to the conclusion that they just have to go back to their aisles and be re-packaged, the group must search through the store to find their homes; avoiding the vengeful Douche (a female hygiene product voiced by Nick Kroll), making allies in the form of a taco shell (Selma Hayek), and finding out the horrible truth about the Gods and everything they believed in...
Taking on the adventure formula from countless animated movies before it and creating an interesting twist to the mix, the basic story isn't one all too captivating because, until the final act, it comes across as something safe. Granted, the whole ordeal with rude language makes it stand out from its contemporaries, but the journey is hardly an appealing one despite some creative – if a tad racially insensitive – detours. Perhaps what makes the whole thing a little harder to grasp is the linear principles of the universe and how the food moves around in human eyes (a singular moment involving baby carrots offers some insight, but not so much for the runaway sausages in the same scene), but at least that shows some improvement by the time act two begins to wrap up thanks to some imaginative reasonings. Likewise, the third act is truly where things take an interesting turn with a giant climatic fight (think a much better version of the infamous Foodfight!) and a set piece that brings about a whole new definition to the term "food porn"; by which point one is fully taken in by this madcap universe.
As far as the jokes are concerned, it's better than usual for the modern landscape. A lot of the film's humour tends to rely on just the idea of these cartoons speaking in profanities or with the overt racial themes (which there are a lot of), and there's a running gag about foods turning up when they're mentioned ("You're the apple of my eye", etc.), but those aren't enough to truly make a funny movie. Thankfully, there's still a little more to it, with the standard Goldberg/Rogen staples of getting high – using a kazoo of all things – and actual funny moments revolving around the scenes in question. Again, this truly thrives when the third act begins to simmer and new characters get introduced. So while there's still all the basic conventions that you'd expect from the trailers and basic premise, as well as for the comedy genre as a whole these days, there is still some form of fun to be had for even the harshest of people.
As the leading wiener, Frank is a bit plain a character. It's obvious that Seth Rogen has an attachment to the character, and it shows in his vocal performance, but there's no real depth to him. As soon as he catches wind of a secret truth, he's suddenly possessed to find out more, and when he inevitably does he hardly makes for a resounding leader for the rebellion. That said, as a character he really bounces off of Wiig's buns and fellow banger Michael Cera, and there's still a likeable feel to him despite the ineptitude of his persona. Kristen Wiig is well done as Brenda despite being seen as nothing more than an object by most; Edward Norton as a Woody Allen-like bagel does lead to some funny moments (especially when teamed against David Krumholtz's cantankerous stereotype, also done well); Nick Kroll as the villainous Douche feels a tad unnecessary for the whole procedure but at least acts as an okay bad guy; Selma Hayek's lesbian taco adds some humour to mix, not to mention a well-needed additional female voice to it all; Cera as a slightly deformed sausage makes for a good lead for the B-plot (joined by fellow frankfurters Jonah Hill and Anders Holm), in which the likes of a junkie James Franco and a Stephen Hawking incarnation of a piece of gum (Scott Underwood); all whilst the likes of Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and Craig Robinson have bit roles which play out accordingly.
With the animation, it’s a trickier thing to really delve into, as the ongoing controversy and the low production costs have a hand in what we ultimately see on the big screen; the whole thing does look a tad cheap, but with a $19m budget that likely went mostly towards the all-star cast it makes complete sense. The character designs are very basic on the food products, with some inspiration coming in from the classic Disney characters (gloved hands and all) whilst attempting to replicate the polish of, say, an older Dreamworks or Illumination Entertainment production. There are a couple of instances involving matte-painted backdrops, but the world around these foods still looks visually stunning despite flashbacks to the similar Foodfight!. As for the humans, it's obvious that a lot less effort went into them, as it seems that exaggerated features was a keynote given to each and every one of them, but especially the women. But at least the animation is good for what it is, and with directing duo Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2; Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted) & Greg Tiernan at the helm, it makes the whole film look good enough.
Sausage Party is hardly the revolutionary comedy that many are claiming it to be, but it is better than a number of them are these days. With a strong selection of actors voicing these characters and a fine premise to warrant such an approach, it perhaps would have been stronger if it could have been more imaginative for the first two acts with both its story and humour; that way one wouldn't need to keep seeing how long was left before the film was nearly over. 6/10.
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