Food Story

Seth Rogen and his long-time partner-in-crime Evan Goldberg’s latest collaboration is the subversive and definitely not-for-kids (except in Sweden, apparently) CG-animated feature ‘Sausage Party.’  An adult spin on the animated classic ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Sausage Party’ envisions a perfect world within a supermarket where food can talk and interact with one another while waiting to go to the mythical “Great Beyond.”

 

Like all the other food in the supermarket, Frank the wiener (Rogen) and his hot dog bun girlfriend Brenda (Kristen Wiig) bide their time and yearn for the day when gods (shoppers) purchase and take them to the Great Beyond, a place they don’t really know but regard as Heaven.  Even when a returned jar of traumatized honey mustard (Danny McBride) warned them that heaven isn’t what they think and is more akin to hell, they ignore him as the raving lunatic that he was.  After a shopping cart mishap foiled Frank and Brenda’s long awaited turn to the Great Beyond causing disappointment and heartbreak, they embark on a journey of discovery and enlightenment with a few other stranded food items to uncover the Truth behind their misguided beliefs (Surprise! Food gets bloody-murdered and eaten by gods).

 

So what do you expect from a movie featuring a wiener, a bun, a taco and a douche (you read right) other than obvious sexual references, double entendres and borderline offensive racial stereotypes?  Luckily, SP is more than a series of gag jokes that pushes the boundaries of propriety and good taste.  It is clever, funny, and ultimately uplifting in its message of food empowerment as they fight back against the “gods” who oppress (and eat) them.  There are also some pleasant surprises, like Edward Norton’s dead-on imitation of Woody Allen as Sammy Bagel Jr. and Salma Hayek’s "taco," who would more readily accept a bun than a sausage.

Grade: B+