Joe SargentIncest, racism, fart jokes and the story of a 4-year-old boy finding himself – a storyline that can only be found in “Family Guy.”
Tuesday, Sept. 27, marked the release of “Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin the Untold Story,” a direct to DVD full-length film. The entire Griffin family and all the memorable characters from Quahog are accounted for, but baby Stewie is the star of the show.
The plot stems around Stewie and a near-death experience, which leads him to alcohol, a road trip and more (not to give too much away). But just like the show, the plot’s not really the point.
The cut scenes and pop-culture references still illicit the most laughs, lampooning everything from blockbuster videos to Walt Disney, with film and television references spanning from “The Family Feud” to “Lawrence of Arabia.”
The Griffin family falls back into their old rolls with Louis as an on and off drunk, Peter as a full-time loud mouth drunk and Meg as the perpetual brunt of the family’s jokes. Chris is off-stage for most of the film, occasionally showing up for a laugh.
The chemistry between Stewie and Brian, the family dog, is perfect and helps the film move from one random irreleverent moment to the next.
The reality is this is not a feature film; it is three episodes of “Family Guy” strung together with one running plot to tie them all together. And creator Seth MacFarlane doesn’t try to hide this fact; he credits three different writers with writing three different sections of the film.
The cover of the DVD, however, may be a little misleading.
The DVD boasts that it’s uncensored – well, it’s not. Obsceneties are bleeped and Barbara Streisand’s nose is blurred out. There are a few extreme moments, but overall the film doesn’t cross any lines that the television show hasn’t already. And any “Family Guy” fan would know, crossing the line any further would be a difficult feat since the television show already pokes fun at every race, religion and creed known to man.
On first viewing, the film may seem long, but watch it again. This is one of those movies where the more you watch, the more jokes you get and the funnier it is.
Though the DVD is light on extras, there is a commentary track with MacFarlane that is funny, in depth, and fully explains why the film is split the way it is. It also includes previews of “American Dad” and of the upcoming “Family Guy DVD Volume Three.”
If you love “Family Guy,” you probably bought the DVD already. If you don’t like the “Family Guy,” go back to watching to your “Scooby-Doo” reruns. And if you are curious about the “Family Guy,” watch the show, then rent the DVD.