Ben Oliver

Now
Banner image for Sausage Party

Sausage Party

OW! Right in my guac and balls!
03 September 2016

In a world where everything in a supermarket comes alive a-la Toy Story, a hot dog discovers the truth about his fate (he’s going to be cooked). He tries to get the message across to everyone but they are convinced they are being taken to the ‘great beyond’.

You know when the idea behind a film is sometimes funnier than the film itself? Sausage Party stands as a prime example of an ‘easy-sell’; Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s concept of supermarket foods that talk, think and fuck is really funny and original. By some miracle, they managed to mess it up a bit.

Of course there’s a lot of funny stuff in the film, but any notion of plot gives way to a clumsy and heavy-handed ‘take-down’ of organised religion. We get it, you think religion is silly and people are fooling themselves, but did you really have to sacrifice an otherwise funny idea to tell us this? It’s like the screenplay was written by a drunk 10 year-old who found out God doesn’t exist.

Why am I reading so much into a dumb CGI stoner comedy? Well, Sausage Party smushes its agenda in your face so much that it’s actually all there is to take away from the film.

Still, despite being cringeworthy at times, there are some really funny ideas, and the final few chaotic & hilarious scenes make it worth the entry price alone. Originality is sorely lacking in comedy and this stands as a real one-of-a-kind, which can only be applauded.