Sausage Party

SAUSAGE PARTY (15)

D: Conrad Vernon & Greg Tiernan

Columbia/Annapurna/Point Grey (Megan Ellison, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Conrad Vernon)

US 2016

88 mins

Animated

W: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Jonah Hill

Mus: Christopher Lennertz & Alan Menken

voices of: Seth Rogen (Frank), Kristen Wiig (Brenda), Michael Cera (Barry), Jonah Hill (Carl), Nick Kroll (Douche), David Krumholtz (Kareem Abdul Lavash), Edward Norton (Sammy Bagel, Jr.), Salma Hayek (Teresa del Taco), Bill Hader (Firewater)

This R-rated animated spoof of Pixar movies is set in the supermarket world, where the anthropomorphic grocery items await being chosen by the customers, who they worship as gods and taken to 'the great beyond' where a hot dog sausage and his bun companion eagerly anticipate the consummation of their relationship.

The idyllic existence of the consumables soon takes a dark twist when an item of food makes a return to the supermarket and tells the truth about what their fate is to become, leading to a skirmish where the sausage and bun escape from their packets and need to find their way back to their aisle with a bickering lavash bread and bagel, while a rogue douche wants revenge for not being able to fulfil his destiny. En route, Frank the sausage discovers the truth about the great beyond and makes an attempt for the food population of the store to rebel against their human overlords.

Though the humour in the film is puerile, vulgar and completely subjective, the story does touch on some clever themes, satirising religious beliefs and political differences. In fact, it's more intelligent than you'd really expect it to be.

There's an insinuation at several points that taking drugs will allow you to see the truth, which feels a little irresponsible and the food orgy finale is just bizarre, but overall this an animated film for an adult market which isn't afraid to be controversial and there are many moments which will raise a laugh or two.

5/10