Sausage Party review: it’s not all meat logs and buns

How crazy would it be if food could speak, I’m guessing most of us would turn vegan. Could you imagine eating Sunday lunch and the chicken started talking to you, or enjoying a peanut butter sandwich only to hear it scream as you bite into it? That, in a nutshell, is what Sausage Party is all about.

The movie unashamedly backs its stance on the issue of religion’s effect on society but doesn’t manage to come across as forceful in their beliefs.

The movie was directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tierman and written by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg.

In a world where food is alive and we humans are Gods. Independence Day is around the corner and might be the only time for sausages such as Frank (Seth Rogen), and buns such as Brenda (Kristen Wig) to enter into what they think is the promised land — the home of the Gods (our homes).

Their love for each other is clearly contrasted in Sausage Party by their sexual beliefs.

Brenda, a God-fearing bun is concerned about the consequences of feeling Frank’s “tip” before they’ve entered into their kingdom of heaven. Frank, on the other hand, wants what all sausages want, to get all up in the bun, except he really loves her and wants to wait with her.  As young adults do, they couldn’t help themselves and briefly touched tips — fingertips might I add. This is when everything started to go horribly wrong and where the movie’s plot really kicks off.

Sausage Party touches on religion and sex, but also highlights atrocities committed in the name of deities

Clearly, Sausage Party touches on religious ideas of sex and intimacy, but it takes a step further and covers the way religion affected history and the horrible things which were done in the name of a deity.

The movie is filled with great lines and hilarious dialogue, but there are some instances where the script falls flat. These instances include Fire Water’s voice acting and the relationship between Teresa del Taco (Salma Hayek) and Brenda the bun, it just felt forced.

Some of the strongest and funniest moments occur when one of the movie’s villains The Douche…or, El Douche (Nick Kroll) as the Mexicans call him is on screen. He’s an actual douche, a feminine hygiene product that powers up by sucking the life out of others and embodies every douchebag behaviour. His favourite catchphrase is “come at me bro,” — if that isn’t douchey enough for you, then I don’t know what is.

The musical composition is similar to that of any Disney animated movie. As the foods cheer on the corn to sing their ritualistic song moments before the store opens, the flick feels like an innocent cartoon. This perception is quickly shattered when you hear the Nazi-like sauerkraut spew hatred to all juice during their verse of the song.

The character animation and models also gives the flick an obscure Toy Story feel, while the plot as well was reminiscent of the second Toy Story movie; the notion of “returning home” was underlined in almost every interaction between Brenda and Frank.

Movie information:

Release Date: 9 September 2016 (South Africa)
Cast: Seth Rogen; Kristen Wiig; Jonah Hill; Bill Hader; Michael Cera
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Conrad Vernon; Greg Tiernan
Genre: Comedy
Age restriction: 16 LDSV
Running time: 1 hours 29 minutes

Verdict: Overall the movie does have its weak points, but is worth the hype. It’s a solid movie and deserves the praise it’s getting. Just a heads up, the last scene gets pretty awkward, especially if you’re watching it with your family. And please, for the love of God, do not think this movie is appropriate for your child or a young family member, you’re an El Douche if you do bring them.

Score: 9/10