Simultaneously beloved and controversial, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are two of the biggest and most creative satirical minds in the entertainment industry. With their biting commentary and unrelenting comedic honesty, they’re equal opportunity offenders who take shots at everyone and everything in American culture.
While most famous for what they’ve accomplished on Comedy Central with South Park, Parker and Stone have also been responsible for many memorable music tracks, a Tony-winning Broadway musical, and some of the funniest modern comedy classics in film. However, out of all of their on-screen works, which ones are worthy of a higher ranking than the rest?
Orgazmo (1997) – 6.1
Parker and Stone’s first major studio film is one that doesn’t get talked about nearly as often as it should. On the surface, Orgazmo can be seen as nothing more than an incredibly filthy and sex-positive satire on the porn industry, but underneath it all, there is a surprising amount of heart to this tale of a young Mormon who reluctantly finds success as a porn actor.
What starts off as a simple sex comedy eventually, at the halfway point, becomes an absolute bonkers and off-the-wall superhero film. It may not be their most popular work, but it’s still a fun time for anyone who is a fan of either The Book of Mormon or the humor of South Park in its earlier seasons.
BASEketball (1998) – 6.5
When the comedic sensibilities of Trey Parker and Matt Stone collide with the chaotic energy of Airplane! and The Naked Gun director David Zucker, the end result is possibly the most outrageous sports satire film ever made. BASEketball tells the story of two slackers who combine the elements of aaseball with those of basketball, creating a nationwide phenomenon out of the game.
Parker and Stone had no involvement in directing or producing the film, and while they allegedly did uncredited work on additional dialogue, their overall creative input was rather minuscule. The hilarity of their performances and delivery, however, just goes to show how committed the duo are when it comes to their work, even if it’s not their own material they’re working with.
Time Warped (1995) – 6.9
Many might not be aware of Parker and Stone’s failed pilot project Time Warped, but ever since it found its way onto YouTube, fans have enjoyed seeing their early big-time ambitions as they kept looking to find their footing in the industry. Consisting of two test pilots, the initial idea was to have Stone and Parker conduct a weekly musical television series based around historical satire, covering such subjects as cavemen romances and Moses freeing the Jews in Egypt.
The kid-friendly nature of the second pilot may be more off-putting to fans of the duo’s more adult humor, but it’s extremely fascinating to see them even attempt such a thing, and both episodes make for one of the most promising TV pilots that were never picked up. It’s impossible to say whether or or not the show could’ve reached South Park‘s level of success had it been picked up, but it does prompt a very intriguing thought of what might have been.
Cannibal! The Musical (1993) – 7.1
Independently produced during their college years, Cannibal! The Musical was the first full-length feature Parker and Stone had ever written and starred in together. Fittingly distributed by Troma Entertainment and very loosely based on the true story of Alferd Packer, this low-budget, ultra-violent, and yet extremely lively, upbeat musical is something that could’ve only been thought up by the likes of the beautifully twisted minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Echoing the comedic spirit of Monty Python, and putting Stone and Parker’s love of musicals on full display with some of the best songs they’ve ever written, Cannibal! is a one-of-a-kind experience that’s unlike anything the movie musical genre has offered the public before or since. It’s no wonder that this is the film that launched the duo’s careers into mainstream orbit.
Team America: World Police (2004) – 7.2
Perhaps the most controversial work of Stone and Parker (which is saying a lot), Team America: World Police was made and released during a time when both America and the world were in desperate need of a laugh, and with the current state of the world, the film’s overall message is probably more meaningful now than it initially was nearly 18 years earlier.
With its uniquely hilarious use of Thunderbirds style puppetry, as well as its borderline nihilistic point of view and sense of humor, the film pulls no punches in its satirical attacks on the entire political spectrum, celebrity activism, and misplaced patriotism. As a surprising result, the film’s apolitical stance ends up making for one of the best political comedy movies ever made.
That’s My Bush! (2001-2001) – 7.3
Another one of Parker and Stone’s long-lost and seemingly forgotten projects, That’s My Bush! wasn’t just a political satire surrounding the Bush administration, but also a lampooning of classic American sitcoms and their recurring tropes. The duo never acted on the show, but the series’ writing and tone have their fingerprints all over them. The series was lauded by critics but was canceled after 8 episodes due to budgetary reasons within the network.
Twenty years later, with only one DVD release in 2006, any memory or trace of it seems to have vanished completely. It hasn’t been rerun since its cancellation and it’s currently unavailable for streaming in America, but the show is a hidden gem in Parker and Stone’s collective resume and holds potential for cult classic status in the future.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut (1999) – 7.7
What happened in 1999, when one of the funniest animated adult comedies on TV was given a bigger budget and its creators were free from the limitations of television in its runtime and content? The world was then gifted with one of the last great comedies of the twentieth century and one of the best animated movies fotrey-parker-matt-stones-best-movies-shows-ranked-imdbr adults with South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.
Mocking the very idea of censorship, the film deliberately went out of its way to offend the MPAA rating board. With its jokes hitting viewers at a rapid-fire pace it completely pushes the limit of what it takes to maintain an R-rating while still trying to avoid an NC-17. The fact that it’s also a musical only adds to its already high entertainment value. After all, it didn’t earn a Best Original Song nomination at the Oscars for nothing.
South Park (1997-Present) – 8.7
Who could have ever guessed that an animated show about four Elementary school boys living in a Colorado mountain town would go on to become one of the most successful and iconic series in the history of television? Of course, for South Park, such a feat would never have been possible without its classic characters and ingenious writing, comprised of Parker and Stone’s trademark sharp wit and timeless social commentary.
South Park isn’t just a satirical animated show, it’s a part of American history, whether it wants to be or not. Looking back at its 25-year run, fans old and new will be hard-pressed to find a singular piece of pop culture or former current event that the show hasn’t tackled and ruthlessly dissected with its satirical approach to them. It’s clear that Parker and Stone have no plans to abandon the wacky Southwest mountain town they’ve created, and their loyal fan base continues to hope and pray that they never do.
