This has been a spectacular year for family films -- particularly of the animated variety. Pixar and Disney stormed into theaters earlier this year with the breathtaking hits Finding Dory and Zootopia, respectively. The Secret Life of Pets did so well that a sequel already has been announced. And live-action family fare continues to entertain, with families heading to the theaters this weekend to see what Pete's Dragon has in store. Needless to say, families have been finding ample programming opportunities at the multiplex all season long, as Hollywood has offered all kinds of fantastic animated movies that are suitable for all ages.
Sausage Party is NOT one of those movies.
For real, don't bring your kids to Sausage Party. I can't say that often enough. Don't bring them. This is not a dig on the R-rated comedy. Our own Greg Wakeman LOVED it, and most adults will laugh their asses off during it. I'm 100% certain, however, that co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg -- the guys behind This is the End and Pineapple Express -- don't want you to bring your kids to this movie, despite the fact that it's animated. Having seen the movie, I'm going to give parents three strong reasons why Sausage Party is way too inappropriate for young viewers.
There will be spoilers for Sausage Party in this piece. Fair warning!
There's Non-Stop Cursing
I think the first word in the movie is "fuck." If I remember correctly, the talking hot dogs realize that they overslept, and say something along the lines of, "Fuck, we overslept." The swearing never stops from that point on. It never even really slows down.
Which is fine, and totally expected out of a Seth Rogen comedy. The dude makes very funny adult-oriented comedies, and if you have seen ANY of them prior to Sausage Party, you know exactly what he delivers on screen. The language in Sausage Party is not toned down because it's animated. If anything, the guys seem to think it's really funny to have animated characters dropping F-bombs and talking about incredibly graphic sexual topics. I don't know how the food products in the local grocery store learned such foul language, but it's prevalent, and parents should be aware.
It's Sexually Graphic
There's an orgy in Sausage Party. A full-blown, sex-filled orgy between all of the food products that survive the movie's harrowing adventure. An animated, provocative orgy that leaves nothing to the imagination. You still thinking of bringing your kids? It shouldn't come as a total surprise by the time we reach it in the movie. Most of the conversation between the sausage Frank (Seth Rogen) and his love interest, Brenda Buns (Kristen Wiig), involves sliding his meat between her buns.
Sexual innuendo is off the charts in every scene in Sausage Party. It's part of the overall joke, and makes total sense in the context of the movie. But there's a shot in Sausage Party of a bagel placing the ball sack of a pita bread on his face. That's a visual you just can't shake from your young, impressionable mind any time soon.
The Movie's Themes Will Go Over A Kid's Head
You still need a reason not to take young ones to Sausage Party? Man. Well, this one isn't quite as intense, because MOST animated movies have overarching themes that appeal more to the parents in the theater. But the main message to take away from Sausage Party has to do with religion, religious beliefs, the belief in the afterlife, and how one person's religion is better (or worse) than another person's individual religion. It's not what you would expect out of an animated movie about sausages and buns hoping to get chosen off of the grocery store shelf, but it's the subversive approach that Seth Rogen has brought to previous comedies, and it fits the mold here. However, kids won't get it. They'll be confused about why the bagel and the pita bread are bickering over "holy" lands. Or why Frank keeps wanting to violate Brenda. Or why all of the non-perishable food items smoke so much weed.
Really, buy a ticket to Pete's Dragon. Your kid -- and our community, in general -- will thank you years from now for making the wise and sane choice today.
