Written and Directed by:  Trey Parker
Starring:  Juan Schwartz, Ian Hardin, Matt Stone, Jason McHugh, Dian Bachar
 

September 17, 2000

         Alfred Packer is the only man in America ever convicted of cannibalism.  He swore he was innocent, but was nonetheless convicted.  Who better to plea his case than the boys of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, in a musical?
         Cannibal! The Musical spoofs the good old musicals like Oklahoma! with the westerns genre.  Trey Parker wrote and directed this in his amateur college days; Matt Stone just costarred in it, with regular Dian Bachar, who was also in Parker's Orgazmo.  Parker is also the star of the film, Alfred Packer, and he is credited as Juan Schwartz, which must be some kind of inside joke. 
        The film, if you can call it that, looks like a college film, sounds like a college film, and acts like a college film.  The acting is horrible, the script belongs in the trash, and there is basically no direction here.  But hey, that’s what they were going for; it is ultimate low budget, shot for about $10,000.
         Cannibal! could be a movie for cheese night.  The only problem is the story is lame, and aside from a few funny jokes and songs here and there, it gets tiresome.  The blood and guts of the Cannibal sequence is all in the beginning, and I kept hoping for it to lead to a grand finale.  The ending suffice to say is disappointing. 
         The one song that reminds me of what’s to come, of South Park, is “Let’s Build a Snowman.”  In the midst of going crazy, one of the  characters breaks out into this memorable tune.  Parker’s humor is better expressed through animation, but it is cool to see the early days of these guys.

         Aside from the film being a disappointment, this is one of the most fun DVD’s out there.  If you’re going to sit through the movie, you must turn on the audio commentary.  Trey Parker and the rest of the boys sit around and get drunk while they talk about their movie.  They even point out all the faults in it, like when one of them points to a river...uphill (commentary: a river can't be uphill, think about it).  There’s also an interview with Parker and Stone where we learn how they got funding. 
         The best part has to be the Troma Intelligence Test II.  Here you answer questions about previous Troma films.  If you get the answers right, you get some T & A from a classic Troma film.  If you get them wrong, you get a gory thrill from a classic.  Troma’s most famous films are The Toxic Avenger Series.
         There’s also a Troma Public Service Announcement, and a tour of the Troma Studios.  And of course the regular theatrical trailers.  The commentary and Intelligence Test will make for a fun party night.

Alternative Recommendations:  South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut; Airplane; The Naked Gun

-Reviewed on DVD-
 

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