Exuberant imagination and a total lack of boundaries make Sausage Party a great summer film. Just as the name implies, it’s a wild and witty animated romp, with a juicy, well-plotted, meaty story, and a hefty helping of raunch on the side. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are definitely maintaining their reputation here as purveyors of crazy fun and the most bizarre religious allegories, not to mention non-stop laughter. For those of us who are into food (and who isn’t?), it’s fun to see the story from their perspective for a change… what does our food think of us?
Frank (Seth Rogen) is a hot dog just bursting to get out of the package and into the sweet, sexy bun Brenda (Kristen Wiig). Cozying up to one another on the supermarket shelf, they can’t wait for the special moment when they are chosen by the gods (us!). Well, we know how that story usually ends, but this madcap comedy is full of action and quite unexpected surprises… including the freakiest, most hilarious climactic scene ever!
The characters are adorable exaggerations of stereotypes, sometimes with an intriguing twist – like the luscious taco Theresa (Salma Hayek). There’s lots of local laughs in the sparring between Karim Abdul Lavash (David Krumholtz) and Sammy Bagel Jr (Edward Norton) who find themselves in close proximity on the shelf – vying for territory – and on the run. Michael Cera is the perfect voice actor for Barry, a diminutive sausage with concerns about size. Unapologetically satirizing everyone and everything, this is a film to watch with a very open mind and a love of laughter. Let me put it this way: If you were to down a shot every time they say “fuck,” you’ll probably wake up in the ER.
Sausage Party
Directed by Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan; Screenplay: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, Jonah Hill; Music: Alan Menken; Art Director: Kyle McQueen; Sound: Tony Crowe; Cast (voices): Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek.
