21 years in the past Matt Stone and Trey Parker unleashed Team America: World Police, which left audiences laughing and Matt Damon “bewildered.” Regardless of receiving optimistic evaluations and even getting Oscar-nominated for the songs in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Parker and Stone felt so burned out making this film spinoff they swore off making additional movies.
Nonetheless, inspiration struck for the duo within the early 2000s once they heard a film remake of traditional TV sequence Thunderbirds was taking place, however that it will function actors as a substitute of puppets. They resolved to make a puppet movie themselves, and initially deliberate their very own model of catastrophe film The Day After Tomorrow.
Parker and Stone’s model would have been launched in the future after the Roland Emmerich blockbuster, and dubbed The Day After The Day After Tomorrow. Threats of a lawsuit nixed that concept, so as a substitute, the duo concocted Group America: World Police, a parody of the bombastic motion blockbusters produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Group America: World Police Stays A Controversial Traditional 21 Years After Launch
Group America: World Police was hotly anticipated when it debuted on October 15, 2004, with the movie parodying every little thing from motion tropes to America’s overseas coverage. It acquired some blowback from the MPAA for a very graphic scene involving two puppets, with Parker and Stone compelled to chop a number of the spicier pictures.
They discovered this MPAA demand particularly foolish since, effectively, the scene concerned puppets. Identical to South Parokay, Group America is nearly gleefully offensive and non-PC; it is hyperviolent and revels in stereotypes and poking enjoyable at celebrities and self-serious Hollywood motion films. Evidently, the movies of Michael Bay had been additionally a serious affect.
Reviews for Team America: World Police had been largely optimistic (it stands at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes), however its box-office efficiency was so-so. The movie nearly grossed its $32 million funds again domestically, and went on to nab $50 million worldwide (by way of The Numbers). This quantity could have been disappointing to Paramount, contemplating the hype surrounding it.
That mentioned, the movie was little doubt a serious earner on DVD and residential media, and its status has solely grown within the years since. A few of the references and gags have aged poorly, however Team America is still one of the 2000s’ best action comedies.
How Matt Damon Reacted To His Portrayal In Group America
One other space the place the movie raised controversy was its depiction of Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Tim Robbins and Alec Baldwin. Group America takes many potshots at liberal Hollywood and those that referred to as out the conflict in Iraq, with the depiction of Matt Damon arguably being the funniest factor in all the film.
Group America: World Police depicts Damon as a simpleton barely able to saying his personal title. In keeping with Parker and Stone, that is as a result of the Damon puppet by chance made the star seem like an fool, so that they determined to lean into that. Damon has spoken about hisGroup America portrayal a number of instances, together with in a 2016 Reddit AMA.
I used to be at all times sort of bewildered by Group America, I believe as a result of it is exhausting for us to know what our photographs are in public, I believe we’re not good judges of that, and once I noticed myself on display screen simply solely in a position to say my very own title and not likely that effectively, I sort of questioned “Wow, is that how folks understand me?” At that time I simply sort of was like, I am a screenwriter and an actor, and like actually? I can barely say my very own title? So I used to be at all times bewildered by that, and I by no means talked to Trey and Matt about that. And by the way, I imagine these two are geniuses, and I do not use that phrase flippantly. I believe they’re absolute geniuses, and what they’ve finished is superior and I am a giant fan of theirs, however I by no means fairly understood that one.
Whereas Damon may need been “bewildered” by his Group America depiction, he would not maintain any grudges over it. On the opposite finish, Alec Baldwin discovered the challenge hilarious and put himself ahead to voice his puppet, whereas Clooney (who’s mates with Stone and Parker) instructed Hotdog journal, “I need to say I might’ve been offended if I wasn’t in it.
Different Actors Have been Extra Offended By Group America Than Matt Damon
Lots of the actors Group America: World Police parodied took their ribbing in good spirits – no less than publicly. One performer who should actually did not see the humorous facet was Sean Penn, who was so offended he wrote Stone and Parker an indignant memo.
Penn opens him letter claiming to not thoughts a number of issues about Parker and Stone’s actions, and that he has gotten a “… few giggles out of your humor.” The memo then takes goal on the pair for encouraging “uninformed” voters to not vote in any respect. Says Penn:
It is all effectively to joke about me or whoever you select. Not so effectively, to encourage irresponsibility that may finally result in the disembowelment, mutilation, exploitation, and loss of life of harmless folks all through the world.
Talking about Penn’s letter to ABC, Parker and Stone declare all Penn did was play into their stereotype of him as pompous and self-important. Additionally they acknowledged Penn’s letter solely added to the box-office haul and that whereas he may declare to be mad about their voting feedback, they imagine it was on account of Penn’s Group America parody.
Talking later with the Irish Examiner in 2004, Penn once more claimed to not be offended by the film itself, and insisted his letter was aimed on the Stones’ view on voting. In keeping with Penn, “I simply noticed a man who instructed folks to not vote and I assumed it was silly.”
Actress Janeane Garofalo was additionally mocked in Group America: World Police, and had scathing phrases about her portrayal. Garofalo instructed HuffPost in 2009 that she hadn’t seen the movie, however was conscious her puppet will get its head shot off. Garofalo did not see the humor to this and referred to as out the film’s creators over it.
What am I getting my head blown off for? For talking out in opposition to an immoral, unlawful and unjustified invasion and occupation? What they did was cowardly. To try to get your self off the hook by saying we’re equal-opportunity offenders, it doesn’t suggest s*** to me.
21 Years Later, Group America’s Satire Of Hollywood And Politics Stays Unmatched
Over twenty years on from the controversy that greeted Group America: World Police, the film has largely stood the check of time. When it is humorous, it is nearly transiently so, although there are spotty patches between the large laughs. Sadly, its mockery of America’s world politics and Hollywood celebrities nearly feels tame these days.
Just like the South Park film, Parker and Stone had been so worn out by the method of constructing Group America: World Police that they have not made a theatrical movie since. If it proves to be their closing massive display screen outing, there is not any higher comedy to cease with.
Supply: Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers, Reddit, Hotdog, ABC, Irish Examiner, HuffPost
- Launch Date
-
October 15, 2004
- Runtime
-
98 minutes
- Director
-
Trey Parker
- Writers
-
Pam Brady, Matt Stone, Trey Parker
