Does it count as a satire if it defends the status quo? (ANOTHER ATTACK ON "TEAM AMERICA")

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 17, 2004 | Mark Caro Tribune entertainment reporter

[Chi-townChief]

Michael Moore, outfitted as a suicide bomber, barges into U.S. intelligence headquarters and blows himself and the whole place up.

-SNIP-

The scene comes not from one of the several Moore-bashing, conservative-minded docs vying for exposure in the weeks before the presidential election but rather Trey Parker and Matt Stone's new raunchy puppet comedy "Team America: World Police."

And the gag isn't funny because it's delivered with all of the wit of a right-wing talk-radio rant.

What is funny is recalling the pundits who declared irony dead after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On the contrary, irony, skepticism and cynicism may have reached an all-time high in this culture.

What's ailing -- ironically enough -- is satire, at least in the fictional realm.

-SNIP-

In actuality, right-wingers complaining about liberal Hollywood should just shut up and embrace "Team America." It's a raw red-meat feast for conservatives.

Contempt for progressives

Sure, rah-rah, guns-blazing jingoism is lampooned by way of parodies of '80s action movies such as "Top Gun," but these jokes are affectionate compared with the violent contempt dished out to such Hollywood progressives as Alec Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Samuel L. Jackson and Liv Tyler. (Darn that Liv Tyler!)

If you didn't appreciate these actors voicing their opposition to the war with Iraq, then you'll no doubt guffaw at their being grouped in the fictional Film Actors Guild, which, of course, is always referred to by its acronym. And you'll love seeing them portrayed as stooges for terrorist-backing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il before they're murdered in the most bloody ways imaginable.

mailto:MCaro@tribune.com

[Chi-townChief]

"Let me mention here that I thought Parker and Stone's previous feature, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" (1999), was a hoot, and this year's "South Park" parody of "The Passion of the Christ" had me in stitches. So I must be some hypocritical lefty to object when Parker and Stone aim their daggers at liberal celebrities and their causes."

BINGO!!! Caro nails it and then ignores his own comment. The way these so-called reporters are flipping over this puppet movie is funny as hell. It just may be worth going to see.

[Chi-townChief]

CHICAGOLAND PING

These guys are just going goofy over this "Team America" movie!!!

[Drew68]

South Park ping

[PreciousLiberty]

Michael Moore, outfitted as a suicide bomber, barges into U.S. intelligence headquarters and blows himself and the whole place up.

He says that like it's a bad thing... ;-)

[King Prout]

the only folks (who would wish to see a raunchy marionette comedy) who will get upset over this movie are those who are not humble enough to laugh at an exaggerated charicature of themselves.

Consquently: Holier-than-thou leftists will HATE this move.

I laughed myself silly watching it last night.

[satchmodog9]

I can't wait for Mondays Libune when the attacks will be in full force. I'm sure the idiot Zorn will have an article on it. I'm also surprised the Lack of Perspective pages in the Sunday Lib did not include a scathing review of the film by their oh so unbiased writing staff.

[DSBull]

Showing Michael Moore and the Hollywood liberals wanting to destroy America is a parody exactly how?

[TexasCajun]

I rented "The Day After Tomorrow", the polar ice caps melt in 8 days, floods, then freezes the northern half of American, forces Illegal American Aliens to invade Mexico for safety!

Saved ya the rental cost.

[dr_who_2]

Depends on whether you're talking about the "status quo" in Iraq or the "status quo" in the U.S., doesn't it?

[aft_lizard]

It is a bad thing. Who wants Michael Moore juice all over the place?

[Rocko]

In Hollywood, Michael Moore is the status quo.

[JennysCool]

Hollywood progressives

Contradiction in terms.

[prion]

Showing Michael Moore and the Hollywood liberals wanting to destroy America is a parody exactly how?

'Cause it was done with marionettes.

I enjoyed the movie, too, but I thought it could have been miles meaner. I mean, the Michael Moore puppet wasn't a caricature at all -- it was actually thinner and less repulsive than the real thing. I'm seriously.

[zook]

Team America is the feel good movie of the year. Every conservative who can handle mild obscenity should see it.

[sharkhawk]

How do we explain the Trib endorsing Bush? All year long they have been bashing him, then they endorse him?

[JesseJane]

It's lucky for us that Leftys keep making the same mistakes. The more noise they make about something, the more DEMAND there is to see what they are talking about.

FARENHYPE 9/11: http://www.fahrenhype911.com/

WMD: The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein: http://www.iraqitruthproject.com/index.html

Celsius 41.11: http://www.citizensunited-interactive.org/c41.11/

SwiftBoat Veterans for Truth: http://www.swiftvets.com/

Stolen Honor: http://www.stolenhonor.com/home.asp

[the invisib1e hand]

haven't seen the movie..didn't know what it was about...(culturally challenged)...if it's what I think it is, it'll probably gross as well as The Passion.

People are funny-- we don't really care how truth is presented; we love it so much we'll take it either as satire, drama, or anything in between.

[fight_truth_decay]

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the popular TV series South Park, return to movie theaters with Team America: World Police, a movie that was created entirely with marionettes. The film originally garnered an NC-17 rating due to excessive puppet sex, and was trimmed to receive an R rating. That restrictive rating could hold down the grosses for the film, as many fans of South Park are under the age of 17 and may not be able to get into the theater. It's hard to compare Team America to any other film, since no other film is quite like it. Trey and Matt's South Park movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was released the Wednesday before the 4th of July in 1999 and opened with $14.8M over the four-day holiday weekend, for a per screen average of $6,943. That film, which also had an R rating, opened in the summer in the middle of a lot of competition, and was based on a known commodity. Fans of South Park will certainly come out for Team America, but to what extent? Opening on 2,539 screens, Team America could rescue $18M over the weekend.
http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm