Netflix Gem - Team America: World Police (2004)

Guard Your Landmarks: Here Comes Team America

Team America: World Police (2004)
Suggested Netflix Queue Position: 3

Generally, people either love Trey Parker and Matt Stone or they hate them. Parker and Stone, the creators of South Park, are not shy when it comes to voicing their opinions. But no one can argue that these are two talented satirists.

In their first movie (outside of South Park), Team America: World Police, their skills are on full display. This is some of the best satire to come out of Hollywood in a long time. It also contains some unnecessarily grotesque scenes – more on that later.

Using a cast comprised entirely of puppets, Stone and Parker’s Team America is about a quasi-militaristic outfit that takes the job of policing the world entirely on their shoulders – with hilarious results. It’s not clear if they’re commissioned by any sort of government body, and it doesn’t need to be.

That America thinks of itself as the world’s police force is not a new concept. The Monroe Doctrine took care of that (don’t worry, this isn’t a 19th century foreign policy review). But never has America’s lack of regard for collateral damage been so accurately captured in satire. To wit: the team’s logo depicts a giant eagle with a globe in its beak.

Beginning with a great scene in Paris where the squad disarms terrorists carrying “weapons of mass destruction,” Team America embarks on an uproarious journey of destruction of cultural landmarks, customs and ideology – all in the name of “freedom.”

After having lost a team member in the Paris raid, Spottswoode, the ridiculously misguided boss, recruits a new member: Gary Johnston, a “top gun actor” who “majored in world languages.” That makes him a “double threat.”

Not only do Parker and Stone satirize conservative foreign policy, they also manage to successfully harpoon the left wing: actors (hey, there’s a reason they’re using puppets). Acting is terrifically blown up to be more important than it is: a weapon against terrorism on equal par with any gun or combat skill. If you’ve ever met an actor, then you’ll immediately relate to the spoof.

Unfortunately, there are several scenes of gross bodily function humor, a staple of the South Park series. But with a movie this well written, that’s nitpicking.

Throw in a few hysterical songs throughout the film, and this is one funny adventure.

Move this up your Netflix queue – and fast.

Co-Editor Response:
Dude, you CAN NOT talk about a Trey Parker and Matt Stone movie and not get your hands dirty. I can’t believe you could write an entire review and not discuss the most controversial aspect of the film. This is the equivalent of telling your buddies about your latest hookup and neglecting to mention her Crying Game surprise–it changes the entire context of the story, man.
In this case, the neglected point is the sex scene. For those living in a cave who haven’t already heard about this, I’m talking about a puppet sex scene so hardcore that the MPAA was going to deliver an NC-17 rating–despite the fact that the puppets have absolutely no genitalia. Yes, it’s that hardcore. More so than you can even imagine. The rest of the movie features graphic violence against puppets in all sort of ways that should really concern parents, but it was a BLOWJOB on a freakin ken doll that was going to push the movie into a NC-17 rating.
Parker and Stone accomplished several things with that deleted scene- they exposed the hipocrasy of the MPAA, took puppetry to a new low, and forced mainstream movie critics across the country to find creative ways to say ‘golden shower’.
Lucky you, the deleted scene is on the DVD. Don’t pretend you aren’t going to watch it.
-Foley.