21 years in the past Matt Stone and Trey Parker unleashed Workforce 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: Larger, Longer & Uncut, Parker and Stone felt so burned out making this film spinoff they swore off making additional movies.
Nevertheless, inspiration struck for the duo within the early 2000s after they heard a film remake of traditional TV collection Thunderbirds was taking place, however that it will characteristic 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 sooner or later 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 Workforce America: World Police, a parody of the bombastic motion blockbusters produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Workforce America: World Police Stays A Controversial Traditional 21 Years After Launch
Workforce America: World Police was hotly anticipated when it debuted on October 15, 2004, with the movie parodying all the pieces from motion tropes to America’s international coverage. It acquired some blowback from the MPAA for a very graphic scene involving two puppets, with Parker and Stone pressured to chop among the spicier photographs.
They discovered this MPAA demand particularly foolish since, effectively, the scene concerned puppets. Similar to South Parok, Workforce 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 motion pictures. For sure, the movies of Michael Bay had been additionally a significant affect.
Evaluations for Workforce 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 (through The Numbers). This quantity might have been disappointing to Paramount, contemplating the hype surrounding it.
That mentioned, the movie was little question a significant earner on DVD and residential media, and its fame has solely grown within the years since. A few of the references and gags have aged poorly, however Workforce America continues to be one of many 2000s’ finest motion comedies.
How Matt Damon Reacted To His Portrayal In Workforce America
One other space the place the movie raised controversy was its depiction of Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Tim Robbins and Alec Baldwin. Workforce America takes many potshots at liberal Hollywood and those that known as out the struggle in Iraq, with the depiction of Matt Damon arguably being the funniest factor in the complete film.
Workforce America: World Police depicts Damon as a simpleton barely able to saying his personal title. In line 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 hisWorkforce America portrayal a number of occasions, together with in a 2016 Reddit AMA.
I used to be all the time sort of bewildered by Workforce America, I feel as a result of it is arduous for us to know what our photos are in public, I feel we’re not good judges of that, and after I noticed myself on display simply solely capable of say my very own title and probably not that effectively, I sort of puzzled “Wow, is that how individuals 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 all the time bewildered by that, and I by no means talked to Trey and Matt about that. And by the way, I consider these two are geniuses, and I do not use that phrase evenly. I feel they’re absolute geniuses, and what they’ve completed is superior and I am an enormous fan of theirs, however I by no means fairly understood that one.
Whereas Damon might need been “bewildered” by his Workforce America depiction, he would not maintain any grudges over it. On the opposite finish, Alec Baldwin discovered the undertaking hilarious and put himself ahead to voice his puppet, whereas Clooney (who’s associates with Stone and Parker) advised Hotdog journal, “I have to say I might’ve been offended if I wasn’t in it.
Different Actors Have been Extra Offended By Workforce America Than Matt Damon
Most of the actors Workforce America: World Police parodied took their ribbing in good spirits – no less than publicly. One performer who should definitely did not see the humorous facet was Sean Penn, who was so offended he wrote Stone and Parker an offended 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 intention 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 can finally result in the disembowelment, mutilation, exploitation, and loss of life of harmless individuals 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 said Penn’s letter solely added to the box-office haul and that whereas he would possibly declare to be mad about their voting feedback, they consider it was as a consequence of Penn’s Workforce 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 line with Penn, “I simply noticed a man who advised individuals to not vote and I believed it was silly.”
Actress Janeane Garofalo was additionally mocked in Workforce America: World Police, and had scathing phrases about her portrayal. Garofalo advised 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 known as out the film’s creators over it.
What am I getting my head blown off for? For talking out towards 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, Workforce America’s Satire Of Hollywood And Politics Stays Unmatched
Over twenty years on from the controversy that greeted Workforce America: World Police, the film has largely stood the check of time. When it is humorous, it is virtually transiently so, although there are spotty patches between the large laughs. Sadly, its mockery of America’s world politics and Hollywood celebrities virtually feels tame these days.
Just like the South Park film, Parker and Stone had been so worn out by the method of creating Workforce America: World Police that they have not made a theatrical movie since. If it proves to be their closing large display outing, there isn’t any higher comedy to cease with.
Supply: Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers, Reddit, Hotdog, ABC, Irish Examiner, HuffPost
- Launch Date
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October 15, 2004
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
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Trey Parker
- Writers
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Pam Brady, Matt Stone, Trey Parker
