Team America: World Police (2004)

Popular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love.

Director:

Trey Parker

Writers:

Trey Parker, Matt Stone,

Stars:

Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Trey Parker	...	Gary Johnston / Joe / Kim Jong Il / Hans Blix / Carson / Matt Damon / Drunk in Bar / Tim Robbins / Sean Penn / Michael Moore / Helen Hunt / Susan Sarandon / Others (voice)
Matt Stone	...	Chris / George Clooney / Danny Glover / Ethan Hawke / Additional Voices (voice)
Kristen Miller	...	Lisa (voice)
Masasa Moyo	...	Sarah (voice) (as Masasa)
Daran Norris	...	Spottswoode (voice)
Phil Hendrie	...	I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. / Chechnyan Terrorist (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Alec Baldwin (voice)
Chelsea Marguerite	...	French Mother (voice)
Jeremy Shada	...	Jean Francois (voice)
Fred Tatasciore	...	Samuel L. Jackson (voice)
Josiah D. Lee	...	International Counter Intelligence Officer (voice)

Storyline

The North American anti-terrorist force Team America attacks a group of terrorist in Paris. Later, the leader of the organization, Spottswoode, invites the famous Broadway actor Gary Johnston to join his world police and work undercover in Cairo in a terrorist organization and disclose their plan of destroying the world. The Team America destroy the cell of terrorists, but then the Panama Canal is attacked by the criminals as a payback. Gary feels responsible for the death of many innocents and leaves the counter-terrorism organization. When the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong II, joins a group of pacifist actors and actresses with the intention of using weapons of massive destruction, the Team America tries to avoid the destruction of the world.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | police | dictator | destruction | panama canal | 

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Taglines:

Freedom Hangs By A Thread.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language - all involving puppets

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English French Klingon Korean Arabic

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Heroes

Filming Locations:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,206 (Iceland) (28 January 2005)

Gross:

£4,688,765 (UK) (4 February 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, MMDP Munich Movie Development & Production GmbH & Co. Project KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The statue in Jong-il Kim's palace is actually a human in heavy makeup. In the first scene in which he appears, you can see his eyes blinking.

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Goofs

Throughout the peace Conference the giant spinning globe behind Alec Baldwin, changes position multiple times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
French puppeteer: Sacre bleu!
[gibberish]
French puppeteer: Oh, hello!
French Mother: Jean-Francois? Jean-Francois?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits beyond the title.

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Connections

References I Heart Huckabees (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Battle Without Honor or Humanity"
Written and Performed by Tomoyasu Hotei
Courtesy of IRC2 Corporation/Toshiba EMI Limited
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Wonderfully poignant satire at a much needed time

No Spoilers.

First off, I'd like to say that this film is everything a South Park/Trey Parker devotee could hope for. It's sly, it's vulgar, it's full of gore/profanity/violence/nudity, and it is made entirely with marionettes.

The sheer amount of wit and subversive humor packed into this film is mind boggling, but yet it doesn't bog you down with vague references and really confusing in-jokes. And goddamn, puppets swearing/having sex/killing people/dancing never gets old. NEVER.

The film is actually almost 2 hours long, but as expected, is one which time takes on less relevance. Of course, some people are going to see just how limited Trey Parkers voice talents are, but having 4 different minor character sound exactly the same is always a surefire treat. Take note that a grand total of zero big name actors lend their voice to this film, though Little B**ch(Dian Bachar) does give a little appearance here and there.

The whole film is real. You heard me. Absolutely nothing in this movie (with the exception of the title credits and I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.) was done with computers. While this may sound impressive on paper, on film it's actually a masterful achievement. While Parker sometimes plays into the film's self-conscious aura and indulges the audience a bit, most scenes are played out to their full puppet potential. I'm sure this film will be a benchmark in the world of puppeteering for years to come, despite it's content.

All in all, it was exactly what I expected (and I have high standards for Parker) and I could not have been happier with the result. A second viewing will be needed, just to take in all the detail of the film, as the sets are lush, elaborate and breathtaking scale models of cities all over the world.

For those who want to bother comparing it to Parkers earlier forays, yes, it is better than Cannibal! and Orgazmo, but does not quite stand up to SP:BLU, but only because BLU had the background and the familiarity factor. After a second viewing, this opinion could very likely change.

In other words, if you like this sort of stuff, you'll love it. If you are iffy on Parker/South Park/libertarian humor, then you will most likely hate it. But what else is new.