The products at Shopwell's Grocery Store believe that being chosen by the beings that they view as gods will lead them to "The Great Beyond" and eternal happiness. But when a lone sausage named Frank (Seth Rogen) discovers the truth of life beyond his home, he embarks on a quest with his beloved bun, Brenda (Kristin Wiig), and other products to expose the truth to the rest of the supermarket and fight back against the humans.
Is Sausage Party the greatest movie I've ever seen? Maybe.
Okay, so it's not. But there's no denying how incredible of a time I had while watching this movie, and the residual good feeling that was left behind when it was over. It was really a perfect execution of what it set out to do, and delivered everything I hoped for, as well as much, much more.
What really makes Sausage Party work, in a completely unexpected way, is the story. I was expecting the movie to largely be made up of jokes from beginning to end without any real substance, but Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's creative team once again brought unexpected layers to a comedy that seemed so simple. This movie doesn't make any grand strides in terms social commentary, as many of the jokes related to the ethnic portrayals of various foods were (predictably) stereotypical, but the fact that it's there at all is surprising. The movie doesn't just make a bunch of food puns, it also touches on race relations, real life conflicts like Israel and Palestine (represented by a bagel and a lavash), and the relationship between belief and faith. It adds something to the movie that elevates it beyond just a dumb movie about talking food. The story is also very unpredictable, and a lot of twists and turns keep escalating the ridiculous tone as the story goes on.
This movie is a satire of Pixar in many ways, but that's never really focused on as much as I expected. That's not to say that Sausage Party is lacking in jokes, because it never stops. For me, all of the jokes landed, and there were moments that had me laughing harder than I have in a long time. The highlight for me was a character who was a piece of gum, and every time he appeared, I just lost it. There were a lot of moments where I was actively trying to suppress my laughter so that I wouldn't miss anything. Whether it was with puns or with running jokes, they never got old, and just got funnier the more that they happened. The movie is raunchy, at times more than I ever thought possible, but it never feels like they're trying to push the envelope or trying to be edgy. The world of the film is set up very well, and everything that happens fits into that world, even a sausage smoking weed through a kazoo.
The animation is also excellent throughout the movie. There are some very creative uses of the various products in the supermarket, and of the many other inanimate objects that are brought to life later on. Creativity is really the key word with Sausage Party, as everything from packaging to background characters is done with a lot of detail and a lot of imaginative work. The voice cast matches the high-energy animation perfectly, and allows very talented comedians to do what they do best, and allows some unexpected actors to surprise with their characters. This led to some very fun cast revelations when the credits rolled, and not many movies manage to continue to entertain after the movie itself is done.
The only real issue I have with Sausage Party is the ending, which felt kind of tacked-on and unnecessary. The movie had the perfect ending, and then it got really meta for some reason, and then it ended on a note that just felt unneeded. It felt like the movie was being consistent right until the end, and it was a bit of a let-down. It was still funny, but in a different way than the rest of the film.
Despite that, Sausage Party is exactly what I thought it would be, and really was a refreshing experience. There hasn't been an animated movie like this before, and I don't know when we'll see another one quite like it. It takes things so far and is so over-the-top with raunch that I'm honestly shocked this was even made. But the animation, performances, story, and humour all remain consistently fantastic throughout. And once again, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and their usual collaborators have created a very unique comedy, and have maybe opened the door for more R-rated animated films in the future.
How those hypothetical films can possibly outdo Sausage Party, I'm not sure.
Is Sausage Party the greatest movie I've ever seen? Maybe.
Okay, so it's not. But there's no denying how incredible of a time I had while watching this movie, and the residual good feeling that was left behind when it was over. It was really a perfect execution of what it set out to do, and delivered everything I hoped for, as well as much, much more.
What really makes Sausage Party work, in a completely unexpected way, is the story. I was expecting the movie to largely be made up of jokes from beginning to end without any real substance, but Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's creative team once again brought unexpected layers to a comedy that seemed so simple. This movie doesn't make any grand strides in terms social commentary, as many of the jokes related to the ethnic portrayals of various foods were (predictably) stereotypical, but the fact that it's there at all is surprising. The movie doesn't just make a bunch of food puns, it also touches on race relations, real life conflicts like Israel and Palestine (represented by a bagel and a lavash), and the relationship between belief and faith. It adds something to the movie that elevates it beyond just a dumb movie about talking food. The story is also very unpredictable, and a lot of twists and turns keep escalating the ridiculous tone as the story goes on.
This movie is a satire of Pixar in many ways, but that's never really focused on as much as I expected. That's not to say that Sausage Party is lacking in jokes, because it never stops. For me, all of the jokes landed, and there were moments that had me laughing harder than I have in a long time. The highlight for me was a character who was a piece of gum, and every time he appeared, I just lost it. There were a lot of moments where I was actively trying to suppress my laughter so that I wouldn't miss anything. Whether it was with puns or with running jokes, they never got old, and just got funnier the more that they happened. The movie is raunchy, at times more than I ever thought possible, but it never feels like they're trying to push the envelope or trying to be edgy. The world of the film is set up very well, and everything that happens fits into that world, even a sausage smoking weed through a kazoo.
The animation is also excellent throughout the movie. There are some very creative uses of the various products in the supermarket, and of the many other inanimate objects that are brought to life later on. Creativity is really the key word with Sausage Party, as everything from packaging to background characters is done with a lot of detail and a lot of imaginative work. The voice cast matches the high-energy animation perfectly, and allows very talented comedians to do what they do best, and allows some unexpected actors to surprise with their characters. This led to some very fun cast revelations when the credits rolled, and not many movies manage to continue to entertain after the movie itself is done.
The only real issue I have with Sausage Party is the ending, which felt kind of tacked-on and unnecessary. The movie had the perfect ending, and then it got really meta for some reason, and then it ended on a note that just felt unneeded. It felt like the movie was being consistent right until the end, and it was a bit of a let-down. It was still funny, but in a different way than the rest of the film.
Despite that, Sausage Party is exactly what I thought it would be, and really was a refreshing experience. There hasn't been an animated movie like this before, and I don't know when we'll see another one quite like it. It takes things so far and is so over-the-top with raunch that I'm honestly shocked this was even made. But the animation, performances, story, and humour all remain consistently fantastic throughout. And once again, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and their usual collaborators have created a very unique comedy, and have maybe opened the door for more R-rated animated films in the future.
How those hypothetical films can possibly outdo Sausage Party, I'm not sure.
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