By Nick Erickson, Staff writer
Animation. Food. Sex. Excretion. God. What do these words all have in common? They encompass the gist of the newest endeavor from beloved actor Seth Rogen: “Sausage Party.”
One might wonder how those five words could all possibly fit together in a screenplay. To be frank, it’s as much of a catastrophe as anyone might guess based off the trailer alone. In 88 minutes, Rogen, famous for his lovable and marijuana-induced humor, manages to pack every expletive in the book into a computer-animated film about talking food. On top of that, there’s a serious theological allegory, amidst the onslaught of toilet humor. Is it worth the ticket price? If you’re below the humor of an edgy middle-schooler who just discovered what sexual organs are, then yes
In a brightly colored, cherry universe, “Sausage Party” follows the story of a sausage by the name of Frank. Voiced by Rogen himself, Frank is one with the sheep. The food all sing and praise “the gods” who will escort the chosen into “the great beyond.” Frank and his girlfriend, a hotdog bun named Brenda (Kristen Wiig), are chosen by a “god” and taken home with other food, much to the food’s excitement. They anticipate that this is their destiny, their chance to make it to the next life. For those who have seen the trailer, it’s clear that they were mistaken. The same gods they worshipped are merely hungry human shoppers, and the glorious apotheosis they bring to Frank and Brenda’s friends and neighbors is painful demise. The truth is horrible, isn’t it?
On the surface, this premise appears original. It successfully makes one question, “what if the food we eat had feelings?” It’s undoubtedly disturbing, particularly the very ending of the film (which will remain unspoiled for readers). Behind the somewhat enticing plot and the Pixar-esque imagery is the stale, fecal-centered humor that plagues the entire film.
Bluntly, almost every minute of the movie is full of profanity and literal toilet-humor, right from the first word of the film. One could expect this just judging from the title of the film. The name alone is a phallic reference, and one of the biggest running gags in the film is that Frank is shaped like a particular organ.
While Rogen’s style of humor often induces gut-busting laughter, and largely is as vulgar as much of this film, it’s very detracting. Where there could be some actual plot or further character development, there is instead some arguably unnecessary vulgarity. It feels like there is too much dim-witted humor in a short-span, and with a film almost an hour and a half long, it all feels very forced. With that being said, this IS a comedy, and with people taking note of who directed it, many will expect nothing less, and just want to watch a blatantly vulgar movie for some cheap laughs, and to each their own.
For those with common sense, “Sausage Party” is as crude as expected. What could be a film with decent storyline is overly saturated with filthy jokes and swearing, not to mention some cringe-inducing sensuous moments between animate edible objects. For a film with the aesthetic of a children’s film that isn’t catered to them, the humor is far below the lowest common denominator. This film, if anything, is for the very light-hearted, who are expecting to laugh a bit and enjoy time with friends. However, if looking for something substantial that’ll last in your memory for longer than the weekend, steer clear.