Beware of 'Team America'

Dan forgot non-straight hate in his litany. "Team America: World Police" falls into the category of movies I'm not sure I want to admit I liked. Had I been in a more serious or sensitive mood, I may have hated it.

Though Dan seemed to glean a poignant political message from the satire, I just enjoyed the puppet porn.

(See - there's the perfect example of why you might not want to watch "Team America." I went from loving the "toothless," kiddie-flick "Shark Tale" two weeks ago to flashing back to cutting-edge puppet porn in my head this week. Good thing Trey Parker and Matt Stone edited the puppets having sex 10 times after the MPAA rated their film NC-17 for "the level of sex, how often and how many positions and which positions," according to a quote by Robert Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures in the Los Angeles Times.)

Actually, beyond the graphic and humorous sex, violence, vomiting and language, "Team America" did leave me feeling conflicted. I wasn't sure if I felt proud Americans have the freedom to produce a parody with a tagline: "Putting the 'F' back in Freedom" or if I felt sad that Americans take their liberties to such an offensive extreme.

I left Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" emotionally distraught about what we're doing as Americans. I walked out of "Team America" laughing and humming its theme song, "America, F- yeah," but deep down, it elicited the same feeling of disillusionment.

Though Parker and Stone slay both war opponents and supporters, overall, they take a strong stand against the U.S. military efforts - portraying Americans as ignorant, destructive and narcissistic. (Though they later justify the American effort.)

Team America flies off to save the world, and in doing so destroys architectural treasures such as the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids.

The team enlists Broadway star Gary Johnson to use his skill in world languages (he uses phrases such as "baklava" to enter terrorists' domain) after he finishes singing "Everyone Has AIDS" in his run of "Lease" (a rip-off of "Rent").

After destroying other countries' cultural gems, the team discovers it missed the mark: North Korean leader Kim Jong II. But by then, emotional personal problems ensnare each team member - part of Parker and Stone's brilliant commentary on Americans' egotism.

Though the filmmakers comment on the crudeness of Americans, the film itself, with its obscenity, lends the greatest evidence to how we support self-inflicted destruction of integrity and beauty. And for that reason, I'm not sure I want to admit I laughed hard while watching it.



Kimberly Nicoletti can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 245, or at knicoletti@summitdaily.com.