Sausage party review

Computer-animated films are usually reserved for children with enough content included to keep adults happy. Sausage Party flips this premise on its head by presenting an R rated smut filled tale of decadence that certainly has no room for young eyes. Where Pixar’s Toy Story explored what toys get up to when we’re not looking, Sausage Party brings a supermarket to life with in glorious technicolour and an obscene amount of vulgarity. It’s the first R rated CGI feature and judging by the box office numbers, it won’t be the last.

In this world grocery items, mainly food, see the humans as gods who take them to The Great Beyond once they’re purchased. There is an awful truth kept from the groceries about what lies beyond the doors of Shopwell supermarket as the food is chopped up and devoured by the humans. It’s a neat twist on a mundane everyday occurrence and is humorous, for the most part.

The gags are viciously crude delivered with the sophomoric wit come to expect from Messrs Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jonah Hill when their names all share a cast list. The opening song is offensively funny and serves as a warning for what’s to come. This isn’t a musical though, which is a shame as the film could’ve benefited from some interludes to break up the monotony.

The laughter begins to fade after the opening 20 minutes as the jokes become familiar and the gimmick gets tiresome. The sexual innuendo is as subtle as a ten-ton hammer to the skull and it appears to be a crutch for the writers. It borders on lazy as they stretch out the running time without upping the ante and making the jokes funnier through a disappointing second act.

It lulls in at the midpoint more than it should but it’s worth it for the terrifically insane third act which descends into a beautifully animated shock fest that would make Caligula blush. The screenwriters (Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg) really do save the best for last including a clever homage to a classic sci-fi movie that got the biggest laugh from myself and those around me.

Despite a modest runtime, Sausage Party slightly outstays its welcome. This is a wonderful idea that struggles to justify its status as a feature. It’s worth seeing for the aforementioned finale and the animation is wonderful even if there is as ongoing controversy over the working conditions of the animators. There is a smug awareness to the humor which won’t endear you to the cast unless you’re already a fan. For those already indoctrinated it’s worth a watch.