The Passion of the Jew

The Passion of the Jew, originally uploaded by Sola Lumina Captura.

While walking through Target the other day looking for frames for Father's Day, I passed by the DVD section and this DVD caught my eye. Since I cannot remember what the back said, here are some summaries or reviews by others. Basically, it is three different episodes making fun of Christianity in a satirical way. Quite provoking . . . Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Where else but on South Park will you find irreverent comedy as scathingly hilarious as "The Passion of the Jew"? Premiering just one month after The Passion of the Christ was released in theaters, this typically outrageous episode tore into Mel Gibson's film with characteristic glee, ruthlessly condemning Gibson's courtship of controversy and depicting Gibson as a raving, greedy, egotistical lunatic (recalling the classic first season episode "Mecha-Streisand") while promoting a fair-minded appreciation of Christ's teachings over the relentless violence of Gibson's film. Perfectly playing off established character conflicts, the episode pits Mel-worshipping Cartman (who embraces Gibson's alleged anti-Semitism to justify his own homespun Nazi revival) against Kyle, who is traumatized by Gibson's film into feeling guilty about his own Jewish heritage. Never ones to flinch from taboo topics or political correctness, series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone outdid themselves with this amazingly rapid response to Gibson's film, and it's destined to rank as an all-time South Park classic. Likewise, the bonus episodes "Christian Rock Hard" (from 2003) and "Red Hot Catholic Love" (from 2002) tackle the commercialism of Christian music (as deviously exploited by Cartman) and the news-making controversy of sexual misconduct among Catholic priests, which somehow manages to incorporate a scatological sub-plot about the marvels of "interorectogestion," answering the age-old question of... well, you'll just have to watch to find out. Suggested for mature viewers only--this is South Park, after all! --Jeff Shannon Description Join the "South Park" gang in SOUTH PARK: THE PASSION OF THE JEW as Kyle finally sees The Passion and is forced to admit that Cartman has been right all along. Meanwhile, many of the hardcore fans of the film unite together to carry out the film’s message under the leadership of Cartman. In the bonus episode "Christian Rock Hard," Cartman, Butters and Token form a Christian rock band and rise to the top of the Christian rock charts with their own messages of faith. The second bonus episode, "Red Hot Catholic Love," centers around a trip to the Vatican and enduring real-life challenges of a video game from 1982. (Another one) The episode called "The Passion of The Jew" is the centerpiece, and easily the funniest in the package. Cartman decides that Mel Gibson's movie is actually delivering instructions for The Final Solution and Kyle is so deeply moved by Jesus' pain that he asks his synagogue's congregation to apologize for killing Christ. This sends the community's Jews into a frenzied campaign to get the film banned. Meanwhile, Stan and Kenny travel to Malibu to ask Gibson for their money back because they think his movie "totally sucked." Gibson is portrayed as an insane megalomaniac horny to be tortured. Though this starts as a parody of The Passion of the Christ (and Braveheart), Parker and Stone's ire is stoked by a celebrity claiming his "art" has God's blessing. By the time Gibson arrives in South Park, raving, everyone has reconsidered their view of the film. The townsfolk agree that it's better to focus on the good works of Jesus and not his death, a fixation that has so often led to the oppression of others. Amen. The episode "Christian Rock Hard" combines Parker and Stone's barely secret love for Jesus (they consistently revere some de-Americanized version of the Lord, peaceful, loving, and non-capitalist) with their open hatred of celebrity. Cartman becomes a Christian rock star, penning sexually suggestive songs about the Savior. At the same time, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny go on strike to protest illegal file-sharing, after they're arrested by the FBI for downloading Metallica and Judas Priest songs. They come to this epiphany after the agents show them all the extravagant items pop stars haven't been able to buy (like a gold-plated shark tank) because of file-sharing. Such cheap shots at rich celebrities are repetitive and obvious. There's no subtlety in having Britney Spears saying, "We're in it for the money" while protesting with the kids. In the final episode, "Red Hot Catholic Love," Priest Maxi worries about waning church attendance due to molestation scandals, and goes to the Vatican in an attempt to persuade the Pope to do something about the pedophilia epidemic. He finds that sleeping with young boys is a cherished tradition among the Church hierarchy, written into Church Laws. Back in South Park, Cartman discovers that if you shove food up your (expletive), you (expletive) it out your mouth. This is South Park at its most puerile and, depending on your tastes, you'll either love it or groan at the many variations of people defecating from their mouths. In case you haven't been aware of South Park and it's cultural defamation of Christianity, here is a taste of secular culture's contempt towards the Christian faith.