We never thought it could happen, but it appears that Seth Rogen has finally fallen victim to his own success.

The fantastic trailer gave us high hopes – and the concept alone of a sausage trying to save food-kind pushed them up even higher. But the reality is disappointing; the trailer, unfortunately, contained all of the funniest moments, leaving the rest of the film a little dry. And for a short film, the writers try to cram a hell of a lot in (mostly the c-word). The result is slightly unbalanced, a little unfocused, and massively wrapped up in its own vulgar humour.

But, for a film about a hot dog, this is deceptively clever. Rogen touches upon themes such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and religious intolerance, and he does it oh-so-subtly as well. The real benchmark here is the film’s blatant challenge to the concept of God, something that has largely been avoided in the film industry. Where Sausage Party initially comes across as a platform for Rogen’s usual weed-smoking, innuendo-laden tomfoolery, it’s actually an effective vehicle for their interestingly atheist musings. Who’d have thought it?

The real problem is that Sausage Party is just too clever for its own good. Rogen and Goldberg dip their finger into way too many pies, and unfortunately some of the more interesting themes are picked up, and then dropped just as quickly. It ends up feeling like you’re listening to Rogen’s own weed-induced philosophical ramblings; but then again, we probably are.

Vulgar to the point of discomfort, Sausage Party is, quite honestly, a little pompous. If you’re settling in for a stoner flick, you will feel short-changed by what is essentially a political lecture from Seth Rogen. Aside from a fantastic performance from Edward Norton, you will likely be disappointed.  

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, James Franco

DIRECTORS: Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan

WRITERS: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg

SYNOPSIS: A sausage strives to discover the truth about his existence.