Seth Rogan’s newest film “Sausage Party” had one of the most unique premises I’ve seen in a long time. The dystopian story of food believing in a false afterlife put our own society into perspective, while at the same time using human history and politics to shine a light at conflicts we currently face. All of this, combined with the sexual humor, marked this story as a classic Rogan comedy.
Frank, a hotdog, lives in a supermarket, and is in a package with other hotdogs waiting to be purchased and brought to nirvana. Nirvana, to him and everyone else in the supermarket, is on the other side of the twin sliding doors of the shop. Next to him on his shelf is his girlfriend, who is a hotdog bun, inside her package. On the day before the Fourth of July, they are both chosen together, and are going to be brought to nirvana together, where Frank will split her bun and make sweet food love.
However, everything spirals out of control when a returned jar of honey mustard kills himself by jumping off the side of a cart to make sure he doesn’t have to revisit what he saw the last time he was outside the market. After that, Frank and a few other food items find themselves searching for answers about what the afterlife is really all about.
The premise of using the promise of nirvana as a disillusionment to what the outside is truly like was profoundly connecting to how society used to work before science was so ingrained into government. Everyone in the film believed in something, whether it was hotdogs being able to split buns or a Middle Eastern bread called Lavash waiting for his 72 layers of olive oil smeared over himself in the afterlife.
Frank’s journey to enlightenment towards the truth of his situation is what drove the story. His encounters with the different supermarket goods, like Jewish bagels, Mexican food, and even a douche, allowed him to grow as a character, which was important to finding out the truth of what actually happens in the afterlife.
The crude humor which drove this film sort of dug into me at times rather than actually being funny. There were times where jokes would just be forced in a way, such as a drunk tequila bottle with a Mexican accent or a lesbian taco’s affection towards Frank’s girlfriend’s butt. The film as a whole was funny, but certain parts of the comedy weren’t as funny as the trailer made them out. That’s usually what happens in a Rogan comedy, other clear examples being in “Neighbors” and “Pineapple Express.” Both of those movies are funny as a whole, but some jokes just get pounded into the pavement with bad set-ups.
I wish I could talk more about the story, but I don’t want to ruin it for you all. It was surprisingly intricate for such a simple plot-line, and it deserves to be seen rather than to be summarized by a 20-year-old college student. If you’re a fan of crude humor, like most of us are deep down inside, then treat yourself to this film.
