Trey Parker and Matt Stone are best known for their South Park franchise, but one of their few branches out into film is about to get a new streaming home.
Team America: World Police, helmed by Parker and co-written by the pair with longtime collaborator Pam Brady, was a satirical action-comedy centering on the titular independent military organization as they fight to stop an increase of global terrorist attacks. However, as their actions create increasing waves of collateral damage, they find themselves on the verge of being shut down entirely.
Now, just over 21 years after the film hit theaters, Team America: World Police is about to land a new streaming home. The R-rated comedy, which sparked the same level of division as South Park has across its 28-season run, will begin streaming on Paramount+ on February 1, just in time for its exit from Hoopla on January 29.
Primarily led by Parker and Stone, along with voice work from Kristen Miller, Masasa Moyo and Daran Norris, Team America: World Police was one of the most talked-about films at the time of its release for a variety of reasons. For starters, the movie endured a very challenging production process for its director and crew, as the puppet format and tone led to numerous delays and stress.
Even more notable was that Team America: World Police proved problematic with the Motion Picture Association of America as they gave the film an NC-17 rating nine different times. This stemmed from a sex scene involving two of the puppets that the pair knew would be a challenge, but found themselves having to cut it down from being a minute and a half to 50 seconds, taking out more explicit bits involving urine and feces.
With the film taking aim at both Hollywood and North Korea’s politics, Team America: World Police was also met with a variety of reactions from the real people it parodied and poked fun at. Alec Baldwin actually praised the humorous jab at him, while George Clooney, who voiced multiple characters in the early days of South Park, felt he would have been insulted if not included, and Matt Damon respected Parker and Stone, even while being somewhat confused by the portrayal of him.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who was the central villain of Team America: World Police, never formally addressed the film in public. Sean Penn, on the other hand, was quite irate with how he was portrayed in the movie, with the two-time Oscar winner even sending a vulgar letter to Parker and Stone criticizing them.
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Even beyond its controversies, Team America: World Police holds a unique place in Parker and Stone’s creative partnership as it was the last feature-length film the pair worked on together as writers and directors. Prior to that, they only had their 1997 cult classic Orgazmo and the 1999 South Park movie, both of which were similarly hit with multiple NC-17 ratings from the MPAA, while also starring in the sports comedy BASEketball. But even with the 2004 action comedy being a critical and commercial success, its intense production was so stressful they’ve said they intend to keep their focus on all things South Park.
Which is part of what makes Team America: World Police‘s Paramount+ streaming premiere perfect for fans of the pair. The South Park franchise is housed entirely on the platform, and Parker and Stone have plenty more seasons and specials in store for the future. As the Comedy Central series has proven more viral than ever with its jabs at US President Donald Trump, it will be interesting to see if both Team America and South Park see a rise in streaming performance beginning in February.
- Release Date
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October 15, 2004
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
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Trey Parker
