'Sausage Party' Looks Like a One-Joke Gag Stretched to Infinity

The first trailer for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s animated comedy, Sausage Party, looks like a one-note gag that will inevitably run about 60 minutes too long. The project, which has been a hobby of the comedy duo’s since as far back as 2010, is finally on the fast track at Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film is set to release at the on August 12.

Judging from the trailer, Sausage Party follows a motley assortment of supermarket products, taken home one evening by an unassuming soccer mom. What the food thinks to be a great honor actually turns (predictably) into a nightmare as they are individually prepared and devoured. What sets the film apart from the myriad cutesy CGI films out there is that the characters gleefully say “fuck” a lot. You know, because, adults.

The whole thing has a ripped-off-from Toy Story 2 kind of vibe that’s very beneath the obligatory all-star cast, which, in addition to Rogen, includes Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco (obviously), Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek.

On that level, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more devout Seth Rogen apologist than me. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy The Interview, but I’ve willingly watched Neighbors more than once. Unfortunately, Sausage Party feels like it will only generate about five minutes of jokes before it descends into Rogen’s increasingly comfortable — and boring — frat boy wheelhouse. It should have been a short sketch on SNL featuring the comedy stars actually dressed up in food costumes. That may have actually been funny. As it is, it’s difficult to imagine Sausage Party holding anyone’s attention for much longer than the first 15 minutes.