Day 68: Matt Damon!

TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (2004)
Directed by Trey Parker
Starring the voices of: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Masasa, Daran Norris, Maurice LaMarche, Phil Hendrie

Team America is an elite fighting force protecting the world from Terrorists.  But when one of their own is killed on their latest mission, the search is on for a replacement.  Enter Gary Johnston (Parker), cracker-jack Broadway actor who regularly tears the house down in the hit show "LEASE" (featuring that catchy tune, "Everyone Has AIDS").  Backstage, Gary is approached by Spottswoode (Norris), who believes Gary's acting talent can help Team America go undercover and infiltrate the Terrorist organization.  Little do they know that the Terrorists are being backed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (also Parker), in an effort to rain chaos upon the world.

This is a film by the creators of South Park, so you know going in that it's not going to be for everyone.  Of course, it looks like a film for everyone, what with the Thunderbirds-style puppets that are used, but that's part of the game.  Be aware going in that you will be treated to an almost non-stop torrent of swearing, toilet humor, brutal violence and a puppet sex scene so graphic that, if it were done with real people, would probably be illegal.  Strange, considering puppets have no genitalia.

But the thing about all of this is, it's absolutely hilarious.  The fact that they're using puppets makes the over-the-top nature of the film that much funnier.  And Parker and company dont' shy away from the fact that they're using puppets.  During the first five minutes, I was actually amazed at the amount of detail they were able to achieve.  Of course, there are certain things that puppets can't do: namely, have a realistic fight scene.  However, it does make the "Bullet-Time" effect a helluva lot cheaper to shoot.

Now you would also expect this film to be a sort of jingoistic, ultra right-wing Fox News editorial piece - especially considering its epic theme song (NSFW) - but it's really not.  In fact, it's really hard to put a finger on the film's political leanings.  Yes, Team America are an arrogant bunch who cause a lot of collateral damage (like blowing up the Eiffel Tower and the Giza Pyramids, for starters) in their quest to spread freedom and democracy.  But their actions bring the scorn of Alec Baldwin (La Marche) and his Film Actors Guild (figure out their unfortunate acronym for yourself), a group of left-wing pacifists which include Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn and Matt Damon (whose only line is "Matt Damon!").  Even Team America's hideout is suicide-bombed by Michael Moore.  And yet, after all this, there's still the task of stopping Kim Jong-Il from taking over the world.  And that may be the film's point: You may not like America - you may even hate America - but even though they seem like violent jerks, they still are the only ones willing to fight against the kinds of megalomaniacs you just can't reason with.

Or maybe the film's point was to blow stuff up, make fun of self-important celebrities and show graphic puppet sex.  You be the judge.