Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd are Awesome in the Consistently Hilarious Role Models

Maybe I’m just really imature and like boob jokes and cursing (well, not maybe – for sure), but I thought that Role Models was awesome. I laughed from the first scene to the last. The jokes were gratuitous, unnecessary, vulgar and sure to offend. In short, they were my favorite kinds of jokes.

Both kids were excellent. The adults were too. Jane Lynch, who played Gale Sweeney and whom you may remember as the electronic store manager from The 40 Year Old Virgin was over the top but really entertaining. No one in this movie was cast poorly from the parents to the extras.

One could argue that this movie had little of value to offer, but I disagree. For the two main characters, it was a tale of growing up and coming to appreciate that there’s more to life than just themselves. For two kids, it was a story of getting noticed, appreciated and loved. People grew up, people learned, and people loved. What I’m trying to say is that many of the characters were dynamic and the story went some were.

What’s more awesome is that the story went there fast. This movie was an hour and a half. You may have caught from my rant in my review of Body of Lies that long movies piss me off. This movie didn’t have any extra material. It went from start to finish with laughs and humor and good times, and unlike this rambling review, it didn’t muck about and make me wonder why I was sitting there, watching a scene for ten minutes before a half-hearted punch-line laugh brought it to a close.

Basically, if you love sick and vulgar, funny and entertaining, then this movie is for you. I give it 8 Chocolate Salty Balls.

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Butters Puts Balls on His Chin and Goes on Maury Povich in Episode 601, “Freak Strike”

When Butters glues fake balls on his chin to pretend to be a freak and get on Maurie Povich to win a prize for being the lowliest freak, he finds himself in a sticky situation. The issue I’d pay attention to during this episode is Butters continual entreaties of Jesus to see him through this difficult scenario. The issue is our constant invocation of those holy people who we think are up there listening to us. It’s like saying, “Jesus, I’d love to do that chick,” and thinking that Jesus himself will be like, “Yeah, she’s hot – let me see if I can work my magic.”

We have become so complacent about the words God and Jesus these days that they fall out of our mouths. Jesus this and Christ-chex that. God almighty and oh my God. Where does it end? Do these words mean anything anymore? Neither South Park nor I is attempting to remind you that Jesus is something holy and important that should be revered and whose name should not be used in general contexts – we are calling your attention to language, and pointing out that our constant overuse of such phrases causes them to lose their meaning and importance.

It’s the same with cursewords. If “fuck” comes out of your mouth (gross?) every sixth word, it loses its power and emphasis. When you use it only in choice situations you better believe the people listening to you will have heard that sentence (or know that you smashed your finger with a hammer).

Do you like this episode? What’s your favorite part?

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Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder with Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Lambasts Hollywood as This Summer’s Sensational Satire

Few movies have started this awesome – with so much spunk, cursing and hilariousness. The opening minute is just ridiculous. Though I can’t say the movie maintains this level of absurdity through the duration, there are numerous great scenes and funny lines. At the very least, it’s entirely ridiculous.

This seems to have been the brainchild of Ben Stiller, who really did do an excellent job, but I can’t say that anyone wasn’t great, including Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. I’m not going to tell you all of the cameos and other funny people that appeared because catching them all is half the fun.

A large point of the movie was to lambast Hollywood for its celebrity idiocy, absurdity and general way of doing things, from the rich Jewish moguls at the top, to the insecure big name actors and the idealistic new actors – and every level of fake, pretentious, nonsensical bullshit in between and around them all. In that respect, the movie gets an A+. What a great job it did, really taking its mockery to the next level.

Without taking away from certain jokes, cameos and lines, there’s not too much more I feel I can say, other than to let you know if this will be for you. It is vulgar, very rated R for language and grossness (though much of the blood and guts is meant to look fake to emphasize the Hollywoodness of it), and filled with cultural jokes, movie trivia/history and stupid people to laugh at. If these things aren’t up your alley – particularly satire as an artform – then this movie is definitely not for you. If you enjoy any of those things, especially when they’re executed in wonderful ways that keep a smile on your face for over 50% of the time you’re in the movie, then I’d check this out.

I award it a solid 8 Chocolate Salty Balls. A great end-of-summer movie. Get your own copy: Tropic Thunder.

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In “Le Petit Tourette,” South Park 1108, Cartman Admits to Gay Childhood

This episode is disturbing and hilarious. When Cartman learns of Tourette’s Syndrom, he starts cursing and claims to have developed this awful affliction. He uses it as an excuse to say anything he wants, including anti-Semitic slurs at the Broflovskis, who literally can’t do anything about it.

By the end of the episode, he actually does develop Tourette’s, however, and starts saying things about himself uncontrollably, like about his gay sexual encounters with his cousin. Terrified of going on national television and saying something he doesn’t want to – though originally thinking it would be awesome to curse on TV – Cartman prays to God:

How did I get myself into this? God? Please uh, I know I screwed up. I should have never pretended to have Tourette’s Syndrome, but see, ah I get it now. You can’t just walk around saying whatever you want. You gave us a filter because, people don’t wanna hear things like “I touched penises with my cousin!” And I learned, you especially can’t say whatever you want on national television, ’cause, there could be kids watching. Please, God, don’t make me embarrass myself on national television. You must see how this is all somewhat your fault, right? Please, I need a miracle.

Not only is South Park making fun of itself for insisting that they should be allowed to say anything they want on TV and mocking those who insist that they shouldn’t because children could be listening (and those people not realizing that they shouldn’t allow their children to watch whatever they want late at night if this is such a concern), but it also plays on our constant prayers to God. Yeah, Cartman needs a miracle but it’s obviously his fault he’s in this situation and only wants God’s involvement when he’s screwed up royally.

A really great episode. What’d you think? Do you have Tourette’s and think that worse things should have happened to Cartman for being so horrible?

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