BRENDA the bread (left, voiced by Kristen Wiig) and Frank the sausage (Seth Rogen)
“SAUSAGE Party,” an animated comedy for adults, is brimming with jokes about sex and bodily fluids, but underneath the crude, lewd trappings, it also pokes fun at contemporary pop culture, gender roles—and even religion.
Co-directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, the film centers on sentient food products and other items that populate a supermarket. They hope to be chosen by the “gods”—actually ordinary human shoppers—who will take them to the “Great Beyond.” These products believe that once they leave the supermarket, they will be rewarded in some form by their self-assigned deities.
A sausage, Frank (voiced by Seth Rogen) finds mutual attraction with a hotdog bun, Brenda (Kristen Wiig). They hope they’ll be chosen to leave the store together. But there are stories debunking the populace’s belief, describing the outside world as a hellish place, where “beings” like them are cooked or consumed by humans!
Frank and Brenda try to figure out the truth by looking for a sage, while the trouble-making hygiene product, Douche (Nick Kroll), chases after them and new buddies for imagined wrongdoings.
Profanity, depiction of drug use, sexual activity and gross jokes make “Sausage Party” a welcome respite from the barrage of mostly wholesome and family-friendly animated features—it shocks and jolts, offering irreverence almost consistently. It’s exactly what viewers would expect from collaborators Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jonah Hill (“Superbad,” “Knocked Up”), who are credited for the story. Rogen, Goldberg, Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir are the screenwriters this time.
CHARACTERS voiced by (from left) Edward Norton, David Krumholtz, Salma Hayek
Other familiar names on the cast list—actors Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, James Franco, Michael Cera, David Krumholtz and Salma Hayek—lend their voices to various denizens of the gut-busting, adults-only cartoon.
Like “Toy Story” and “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Sausage Party” offers a twisted look at a hidden, interacting community, but with overtly human and sexual impulses. It unabashedly tackles gay identity, blind devotion and disillusionment—this lustful, riotous party satisfies the appetite for serious thought, as well.