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  | Team America - World Police (Uncensored and Unrated Special Collector's Edition)
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Average user rating:  | |
 America, f@!# yeah! | |
| I really enjoyed this movie--so much that I took advantage of Blockbuster's "no late fees" policy and kept it around for a few or five more days. Trey and Matt are what Roger Ebert called "equal opportunity offenders"--they lampoon the neoconservative nihlistic worldview of good vs. evil and the Hollywood Left via Michael Moore and company. More attention is given to the left than I expected, but there is some truth in how the F.A.G. confuses their celebrity status for an expertise in international politics and economics.
I thoroughly enjoyed the main character's broadway performance (AIDS!) and the final showdown between Team America and the celebrities. Team America dispatches the celiberals in a disgusting yet hilarious fashion after they make their escape from Kim Jong-Il's fortress. To sum things up, this movie was great, but it could have been better. | |
| Perverse, hilarious defense of American foreign policy | |
| Team America is a crude, bizarre and militantly un-PC look at the War on Terror. The technique of the film, using puppets whose strings are clearly visible throughout the movie, is a study in itself. The obvious suggestion, whether intended or not, is that all of the players in today's global situation, from terrorists to gung-ho American military types to peace activists, are basically puppets acting out mindless roles. Despite its humor, Team America presents an extremely cynical view of the world. Nor is it, contrary to the opinions of some critics, without a clear-cut ideology. While both the ultra-macho Team America and the left wing peace activists are sharply satirized, the film clearly comes out in favor of Team America, who end up saving the world. The hero, actor Gary Johnston, delivers a crudely funny speech at the end which actually presents a surprisingly coherent, and nearly persuasive justification for American foreign policy. In fact, I would have to say that it is the best defense of this policy that I have seen or heard thus far, though I should confess I am no fan of Bush and recent wars. This gives me a grudging admiration for the movie --that in the midst of its absurdity and gross-out humor, it actually does a better job of explaining current military policy than our so-called leaders and most of the mass media. To summarize, without using the film's obscene language (which would be unprintable in any case), the argument is that America is violent, responsible for much destruction (in the movie, Team America blows up, among other things, the Eiffel Tower and the Sphinx) and basically amoral, but the terrorists who it opposes are far worse. Where this film succeeds in defending this rather simplistic doctrine, while politicians and media columnists fail, is the extent to which the movie scours its heroes. Instead of John Wayne and American Flags waving to the sound of sappy patriotic music, we get a bumbling military team headed by a closet homosexual, while the patriotic music in the background is a vulgar rock and roll number.
Team America does have notable weaknesses. The left-wing Hollywood actors (who belong to the Film Actors Guild, or F.A.G. --Team America is hardly above high school humor) are parodied beyond any degree of credibility. They are essentially portrayed as idiots who can barely speak a full sentence, while Michael Moore turns out to be a bomb-wielding terrorist. This complete lack of any subtlety betrays a lack of confidence and imagination on the part of the filmmakers. There are certainly enough valid ways to satirize self-righteous Hollywood activists without parodying them beyond all recognition. One thing that is interesting about Team America is that it ends up subverting its own position (which, for all I know, may have been the filmmakers' real intention). While it does make a strangely convincing argument that the world needs the kind of shoot-now-ask-questions-later sort of heroes portrayed in the film, it also provokes some seriously subversive questions, at least for anyone who is able to think beyond the South Park mentality of the movie's surface. If the spirit of Team America is akin to the actual soul of modern America, what does that say about how far we have strayed from the ideals upon which this country is supposed to be based? Some critics, such as Roger Ebert, have attacked the movie's nihilism. As I see it, the film is actually reflecting a nihilistic spirit that is very much a part of today's political landscape. If a cartoonish movie, seemingly aimed at teenagers, comes closer to revealing the true nature and intentions of our leaders, uttering truths that more serious commentators would never dare to, isn't that something that needs to be addressed? If a violent, amoral nihilism lies at the heart of today's society, we should not blame moviemakers for showing it to us. Team America, if nothing else, does us a service in this regard. Plus, to be honest, it's just plain funny. | |
 Really Stupid Politics | |
| I'm surprised this movie flopped: It's a wingnut's dream. Maybe if Parker had toned down the vulgarity a bit.
Let's see. Militaristic, technologically advanced, all-action-no-talking, doesn't-answer-to-anyone Team America is out to save the world from terrorism. Team America could deal with the problem if it weren't for brainswashing, smooth-talking progressives (represented here by "liberal" actors, including Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon and Matt Damon), who, of course, belong to F.A.G., an initialism of the Film Actors Guild. Against all odds, Team America deals with the F.A.G.s by chopping them in half, blowing off their heads and ripping them from limb to limb. In comparison, the actual terrorists in this movie get off easy. Terrorist mastermind Kim Jong isn't even held accountable for his actions. Rather, he sings a touching ditty with lyrics that explain his megalomania with psychological cliches, and then it turns out that he was possessed by an alien bug. The Devil made him do it. The Devil takes off in a spaceship at the end, leaving the viewer praying that there will not be a sequel. Oh, and did I mention that the only diplomat in this extremely political film, Hans Blix, is eaten by a shark? And that Michael Moore blows up Team America's headquarters in a suicide bombing? And that issues such as global warming and corporate power are treated as jokes? And that the destruction of historical landmarks and the killing of innocent people by Team America's carelessness is explained away as being worth it? Parts of this movie are really funny. I loved the vicious house cats, and the sex scene perfectly nailed the ridiculousness of porn. But like all Backlashers, Parker is shooting at the wrong targets. I won't even get into the bizarre homosexual paranoia that permeats this film. And has Gerry Anderson sued? | |
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