Review of Sausage Party (2016) by Spangle — 10 Dec 2016

Vulgar, immature, and beyond our current definition of stupidity, Sausage Party is a film that actually has an interesting concept. The tale of a hot dog discovering the truth surrounding his fate, Sausage Party turns into an excuse for Seth Rogen and company to thump their atheist chests at believers, while also making food puns and exclusively using toilet humor. Lowering the bar on the lowest common denominator in cinema, Sausage Party is actually worse than Deadpool. Why? Well, I liked Ryan Reynolds. Here, there are very few redeemable elements. A few food puns worked, but were hardly substantive. However, even if I was enjoying this film with humor that can solely be found in middle school classrooms, the food orgy at the end would have ruined that enjoyment. This idiotic and insipid slice of garbage cinema should honestly cause shame for those who wrote this film, for even thinking that this dialogue worked.

Ignoring the fact that no joke lands, the film makes repeated sex, poop, genital, and racist jokes throughout. Yet, as it does offend everybody, the racist element does not bother me. The other parts, however, were just so easy. It is a real shame that this film is rated-R because then nobody under 18 could see this in theaters without a parent. If the audience were just 11-year olds, Sausage Party would be hailed all over as the best film since like ever. Maybe the best since Deadpool or Kingsman. However, just like those other edgy, low-brow humor films that indulge far too greatly in the sexual comedy fantasies of young boys, Sausage Party is never funny, nor is it ever enjoyable. With a disposable plot, a conclusion that makes no sense, and a gum Stephen Hawking being hailed as the one to bring reason to the world ("F*** YOU CHRISTIANS!"), Sausage Party really outdoes itself to be nothing but fleeting entertainment. Not much will last from this film as its disposable plot does nothing to save its horrific sense of humor.

The tragedy here, however, is that the film wastes Edward Norton doing his best Woody Allen impression. If there was ever a good thing to come out of this, it would be for Edward Norton to simply play the Woody Allen character in a Woody Allen movie. He may have done this already (I know he's worked with Allen before), but it needs to be done anyways. What is an even more egregious tragedy here, however, is the film's treatment of women. With all female characters sexed up to the point that the camera literally just zooms in on their ass and vaginas, Sausage Party is the embodiment of the male gaze and the theories presented by Laura Mulvey. Even worse, the film posits the only purpose for women in the film is to be subservient to men with their only drive being their desire for a penis. This is straight out of Mulvey's beliefs regarding the role of women in film and this abhorrent piece of work truly goes out of its way to fulfill all elements.

With a reliance on sexual visual gags and food puns, Sausage Party is never fun and deserves to be cast into the fires of hell for all of eternity. Somehow, it is not the worst film of the year though, if only for the Saving Private Ryan references, the queso joke, and Edward Norton. Oh the torture.