South Park Creators Sink $40 Million Into Ridiculous Restaurant In Paramount+ Documentary

By Robert Scucci
| Published 25 seconds ago

When South Park’s The episode “Casa Bonita” came out in 2003, we witnessed Eric Cartman’s unhealthy obsession with what he calls the “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants” as he desperately tries to kidnap Butters and hide him in a bomb shelter for a week so he could attend Kyle’s birthday party instead at the title restaurant. After watching the Arthur Bradford-directed Beautiful House My Love! documentary about Trey Parker and Matt Stone actually buying a Denver restaurant out of bankruptcy and sinking $40 million into a monolithic renovation and restoration that required a biblical amount of work to accomplish, I now know that Eric Cartman’s behavior was hardly exaggerated in “Casa Bonita” at all.

Filmed in the same manner and 6 Days to Air (also directed by Bradford), Beautiful House My Love! shows how committed Parker and Stone are to their creative projects as they apply the same monastic obsession to what most sane people would consider a very unwise investment.

Beautiful House My Love!

Between runs of South ParkParker and Stone decided to embark on their scariest project to date (sorry, Book of Mormon) in Beautiful House My Love! The 52,000-foot Mexican restaurant was in a state of complete structural disrepair and financial turmoil during its final years before closing after a decade, and Parker and Stone teamed up with investors to see what they could do to save Parker’s favorite childhood restaurant. from becoming a dilapidated relic of the past.

Wanting to recapture the magic he experienced as a child and pass it on to future generations, Parker initially believed the project could be completed with a budget of $6.5 million, but it took him very little time to realize that new and fresh carpets . a coat of paint would not be enough to restore the institution to its former glory by a long shot.

Working with the same level of tenacity that goes into producing an episode of South ParkParker and Stone know immediately that they have made a very stupid decision, but they decide to see the project through to the end, even if it means they have to throw away $30 million of their own money to take it off. As the costs continue to mount, you will see the light slowly drain out of their eyes, but they continue to push forward in good spirits because they know that the legacy they will leave behind will remain if Casa Bonita continues to stand for another 50 years worth their dedication.

The Best Kind Of Unintended Comedy

There’s no doubt that Parker and Stone are naturally funny creative partners, and if Beautiful House My Love! tells me anything about the duo that I didn’t already know, which is that they know how to keep a viewer laughing when things get serious – even when they reach their eyeballs resetting the HVAC and fixing a well, looking for an executive chef, and figuring out how to open Casa Bonita so they can start earning back on their investment. I’m not a huge fan of renovation shows because they’re so incredibly boring, but Beautiful House My Love! never loses his sense of humor because it’s not in Parker and Stone’s DNA not to be funny.

Although it’s not a particularly in-your-face kind of funny, I found myself laughing out loud when Parker was agonizing over what kind of props he should buy for the puppet shows just before being informed that a structural issue would be required just discovered. to get coverage, costing millions of dollars. The only thing missing from this documentary that would basically confirm Trey Parker is Eric Cartman in human form is the South Park a creator ringing a bell in a state of unbridled enthusiasm and shouting “more sopapillas please!” while trying to avoid the police before hiding out in Blackbart’s cave until things blew over.

It’s all for the kids

Beautiful House My Love! is a very disarming documentary about what happens when a passion project – a very misguided one at the time – comes from a genuine place. After Parker and Stone’s first walk-through of the restaurant they bought “as is,” it becomes clear as day that they will spare no expense because children (and their parents) deserve experiencing such an absurdly absurd restaurant concept that shaped who they are. when they were children themselves. There are several moments in the documentary when they want to throw up their hands and count their losses, but they continue to press on despite the obstacles they face.

Once again, Trey Parker and Matt Stone prove in no uncertain terms that if you’re creative, ambitious, sincere, and have $40 million, anything is possible.

You can stream Beautiful House My Love! with a Paramount+ subscription.