Recent reviews have turned me into a modern day Paul Revere warning parents about the evils that lurk in the "Austin Powers" and "Big Daddy" flicks. So as not to be labeled a hypocrite, I found the political humor of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut to be quite funny.

But the major part of this animated feature, a longer film version of the Comedy Central show, has got to set some type of record for being the most obscene cartoon movie since Fritz the Cat graced the screen some 25 years ago.

I’ve never seen the television show. Last week I asked my summer school class if it was shown on the Nickelodeon Channel, like "The Rugrats." The more savvy students practically fell on the floor laughing. Now I know why.

The movie version of "South Park" is rated R for its language and vulgarity. It should really be NC-17. Here’s another case where the Motion Picture of America Association doesn’t know its you-what-what from its elbow. Maybe I’m being too sensitive. I guess I shouldn’t be so critical of a movie playing at a suburban cineplex which features Saddam Hussein having sex with Satan.

The characters of "South Park" are odd-shaped figures with mechanical movements and strange voices. Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Kenny are four kids who sneak into an R-rated movie starring two Canadians named Terrence and Phillip. Their movie, "Asses of Fire," prompts the four to spew out four letter words at school.

One of their mothers organizes Mothers Against Canada. The Canadian Air Force bombs the Baldwin (Alec and the others) Brothers’ Hollywood home in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Kenny dies while trying to light his, well, never mind. Flatulence and four letter words are regular parts of the affair. He ends up in hell, where we see Saddam Hussein. The Saddam figure is actually a photograph that looks like it’s impaled on an ice cream stick, with mechanical mouth movements and a maniacal smile.

The Friday afternoon audience looked mature enough to judge if they want to see this stuff, a real test of the First Amendment. Still, Hollywood can’t get much raunchier than this, can it? If there’s a buck to be made, it will.