Team America: World Police (2004)

Director:

Trey Parker

Writers (WGA):

Trey Parker (written by) &
Matt Stone (written by) ...

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Putting the "F" back in Freedom.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Police | Destruction | Death | North Korea

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

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 / Matt Damon / 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)

Also Known As:

American Heroes (USA) (working title)
Team America (Germany)
Untitled Trey Parker/Matt Stone Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | French | Klingon | Korean | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Chile:14 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Sweden:11 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Québec) (unrated version) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (unrated version) | Canada:R (unrated version) | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:16 (original rating) | Ireland:18 (video rating) | Italy:T | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Argentina:18 | Japan:R-18 | USA:Unrated (uncut DVD version) | Canada:18A (Ontario) (rated version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (rated version)

Filming Locations:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

This is the first movie by Trey Parker and Matt Stone to get under an "18" rating in the Republic of Ireland.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the scene where the team is fighting the Koreans, after Lisa says, "We lost I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. I repeat, we have no I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E", you can see the reflection of a face in the front window of Joe's helicopter during its head on shot.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in 'Team America': An Introduction (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Montage

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.