(S10E14) After relentlessly satirizing current events for several episodes, the minds behind South Park took a nice departure with this episode, offering up a hysterical take on mainstream movie conventions, complete with a voiceover and musical score provided by a man who follows Stan around to clue everyone in on what's happening while he plays music on a portable record player.
Following the old comedy standby that pain is always funny, this episode sees Stan trying to become responsible, but having more pressure put on him from the town's adults than he can handle. First his bike is towed (that's right, I said "towed"), so he can't do his paper route, and if he can't make money from the paper route, he can't get his bicycle back. He ends up enlisted to coach the pee-wee hockey team, a group of toddlers who can barely skate and never score a single goal.
Everyone in town wants Stan's team to win the big game, and even Stan's father shows up, despite still feeling the pain of seeing his own son miss a goal at the same arena years ago. It's hilarious in its ludicrousness, and it's another great pot shot at sappy, overdramatic movies where the things all normal people go through are overdramatized and blown completely out of proportion. There's even the player with cancer tossed in, just in case our heartstrings haven't been finagled enough.
I always enjoy it when South Park goes after recent events and social issues, but once in awhile it's nice to see an episode that just wants to be funny without all the commentary. Of course, it wouldn't be a South Park episode without at least one attempt to rile the masses, and the comment from the doctor telling Stan that Nelson, the little boy with leukemia will "die faster than Steve Irwin in a tank full of stingrays" made sure of that. Social commentary or no, it's not really a South Park episode without a little provocation.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-16-2006 @ 10:34AM
Chris said...
While this was a shot at all feel-good sports movies, it was a direct send-up of "The Mighty Ducks" right down to some direct reproductions of shots from the film.
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11-16-2006 @ 12:37PM
Michael Heumann said...
It's PARTLY a send-up of "The Mighty Ducks," but there's a whole lot of "Bad News Bears" in there as well, especially that "Let them play!" part at the end, which is lifted straight from "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training."
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11-16-2006 @ 1:33PM
gwangi said...
I thought this was once of the worst episodes I've seen in a long time. Oh well. It will be back again in like 6 months.
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11-16-2006 @ 2:30PM
RevJonathan said...
"They're not gonna kill us."
"That's what Steve Irwin said about the stingrays!"
Funniest episode all year.
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11-17-2006 @ 1:38AM
Joe said...
The Steve Irwin jokes are (hopefully) the last word on that whole debacle stemming from the Hell on Earth 2006 episode. The guy with the record player was so hilarious because we've all seen trailers exactly like the ones he was describing. They've done the 'trailer voice' loads of times on South Park, and it's funnier every time.
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11-17-2006 @ 4:01PM
Geoffrey M. said...
This prolly one of funniest episode I have seen in awhile. Though Stan is my favorite character I felt kinda sad for him but anyway its just a cartoon. If I watched this episode few more times you would've hated it because of its ending.......but if you nevered seen South Park before you'll prolly LOL! (Like I did)
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11-22-2006 @ 9:13AM
Dan J said...
Which part of of the biting satire towards the American invasion of Iraq is everyone not understanding? This is typical South Park although it is left until the last couple of minutes to reveal the underlying theme to the episode. This is the US attacking Iraq, the supposed mighty against the weak, the "I'm proud of you son" Bush Senior to Bush Junior. This episode wasn't the nicest end to the series but then with its message it shouldn't have been - it was meant to be strong and make the viewing public take note. Sadly most forums are full of those who missed the point completely and criticise for it not being funny or full of toilet humour...
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11-26-2006 @ 11:22PM
TopTop said...
Dan J you are a friggin moron. How is "Stanley's Cup" (get it, like Hockey's the Stanley Cup) a reference to Iraq. So your argument is that the kindergarteners playing the Red Wings is like the USA invading Iraq. So who is the "supposed mighty" the kids or the Red Wings? If its the Kids, that doesn’t make sense, because who in their right mind thinks 4 yr olds would beat a pro team. If its the Red Wings then your analogy doesn’t make sense since they won. Bottom line, you’re a retard. This was a parody of cliché kid sport movies. If this episode was a comment on Iraq then I guess the Mighty Ducks, Bad News Bears, The Rookie, Angels in the Outfields were commenting on Vietnam. Oh weight a minute…. Now I get it, the guy following Stan around with the record player wasn’t a parody of movie trailers but really a comment on the supposed voice of God that George W. believes commanded him to invade Iraq… GIVE ME A BREAK. Sometimes (if not most of the time), Dan J., the simplest explanation is the correct one; sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
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12-12-2006 @ 7:58PM
Barnes said...
yea guys for the record that celebration scene after the red wings win is completely taken from the mighty ducks, so in short Dan J is retarded
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