Movies of 1999: South Park, Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

It was the summer of ‘99 and throughout the world one movie was thrilling children and scaring parents: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. The fantastic foursome of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman made their big screen debut in a musical about growing up, defying authority, war and the apocalypse.

The plot of the movie is the boys pay a homeless guy to get them tickets to a new movie based on their favorite show Terrance and Phillip. They not only enjoy it but also expand their vocabulary with a wide variety of curse words, which causes Kyle’s mother to flip out and start a war with Canada. Unfortunately, if the war occurs Satan and Saddam Hussein, who are lovers, will begin a thousand year reign of terror.

Just like the TV show, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut was a combination of fart jokes and toilet humor, with hard-hitting social commentary. The movie was a parody of itself, or rather a parody of all the parent groups that were out to get it banned from movie theaters nationwide.

That’s right: back in 1999 the greatest threat to American children wasn’t terrorists but foul language coming out of the mouths of cartoons. My how times have changed. Songs like “Blame Canada�? make this point while giving it a humorous edge so that it doesn’t sound preachy. But that’s the only great musical number in the film, how can anybody forget the theme from the Terrance and Phillip movie, “Uncle F**ker�? or Big Gay Al’s performance at the USO Show.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is a classic from the summer of ‘99 that proved not only that musicals aren’t dead but that intelligent social commentary can be wrapped up in fart jokes and crude humor. So just the message of the movie, all the concerned parents can now shut up!