Death to Smoochy (2002)

Throughout the years of cinema, a certain dilemma has remained unresolved: how to market a black comedy. Elusive to categorize, it remains equally difficult to articulate exactly what such films are offering, and to which demographic. Certainly such an obstacle arose when marketing Danny DeVito's Death to Smoochy. With a misleading trailer boasting a broad comedy Robin Williams vehicle, the film was greeted as a scornful box office failure that few seemed to know how to approach and proved miles away from what they had expected. Yet this reaction proves all the more disappointing considering the rare treat the film offers - one of a steadily decreasing few which genuinely subvert viewer expectations. While far from perfect, Death to Smoochy remains the sort of fundamentally bizarre yet gloriously daring picture which seldom makes it to theatres, offering a gleefully warped, macabre wit almost guaranteed to please those willing to take it for what it is.

The fact that the word 'death' being present in the title of a mainstream comedy is a rarity should be indicative of exactly how offbeat and downright sinister the film is. Despite a sparkly visual palate of pastel colours, the film could hardly be more dark tonally, with its infusion of frequent brutal violence and sadistic, uncomfortable humour making it about the farthest thing away from the safe, mainstream comedy its trailer attempted to depict. Yet its shady sensibilities cannot possibly quench the film's manic, wickedly sadistic wit, and the enormously quotable screenplay delivers such a varied slew of humour that the viewer cannot help but consistently be caught by surprise. DeVito amplifies such an ambiance with bizarre, off-kilter camera-work and a continuous transitioning from satire to the deadly serious to goofy slapstick and back again, leaving the viewer uncertain when to roar with laughter or to cringe uncomfortably. In fact, the blurring between the two becomes poignantly indiscernible, with DeVito seemingly impishly suggesting that whether cinema makes us laugh or cringe, either way it does not deter our fascination with watching, and that perhaps the boundary becomes simply redundant in the end.

Nonetheless, as fresh as such a fusion of the comedic and the grotesque may be, the lack of obvious prerequisites also results in Death to Smoochy suffering from certain design flaws. The film starts off as a devilish satire of network television, with Norton's sickeningly wholesome entertainer Sheldon Mopes thrust into the fish out of water figure in a sea full of greedy, merchandise obsessed execs. Yet about halfway through DeVito loses his pace, and the film begins to feel more like a chaotic jumble, continually stuffing in new characters and plot twists, and with at least three seeming climaxes uneasily leading into further narrative development. Similarly, the film's treatment of Robin Williams' vengeance obsessed TV host Rainbow Randolph remains equally indecisive. Perhaps due to Williams' star casting, DeVito appears to struggle with exactly what to do with the character, whether to situate him as protagonist or depraved quasi-antagonist. As such, Randolph appears uncomfortably stuck between the two, and the film's ensuing rocky focalization makes it harder for the viewer to maintain their emotional bearings. The addition of a rather conventional romantic subplot also feels somewhat out of place in so uniformly dark and vindictive a picture, making the third act feel all the more unnecessarily chaotic. Nonetheless,

Fmovies: This film's been released on DVD for a while and at my local blockbusters, i noticed it quietly sitting in a corner next to Day after tomorrow and dirty dancing 2. But as i work in blockbusters, i get free rentals every week so thought i might as well rent it out. Man, was i in for a shocker!! Talk about totally hilarious.

Some of the gags in this film were quality - Robin Williams is at his comical best. I'm not saying it's Williams' best ever film (cough good will hunting cough) but certainly he's never been this funny. His gag about the abnormally shaped cookie was so funny. In fact, i've never laughed this much since Dumb and Dumber.

Edward Norton was actually very believable as the clean cut good guy. I didn't expect it from him after watching Fight club and American history X but he carried out his role really well.

Catherine Keener also looked really beautiful, she played her power-hungry turned nice chick character to a tee.

Even though the story is about a kids show, there's a lot of dark comedy in it e.g. the involvement of the Irish gangsters (by the way also very funny) showing what a good job Danny devito has done directing this film. Credit to him. All the characters in the film served a purpose and above all, did it well!! All seemed believable and Robin Williams was the star.

If you watch this film, persevere for the first 20 minutes because after which the jokes and plot come in hard and thick.

Top stuff, rent if you want a comedy with original storyline and a little bit of good humoured smut thrown in for good measure.

I would be wrong if I said that Danny DeVito's films were made with full intent to capture the realisms of life, and it is because of his ability to portray an eccentric world (or relationship) that he is able to made the most original and entertaining characters known to film.

For example, although he didn't create the character Matilda, he was able to portray the girl with telekinetic ability in a very effective manner in the film of the same name. And also the characters in 'War of the Roses' were thoroughly over-the-top, but it was because of this that the films directed by the short man were so entertaining.

'Death to Smoochy' was no exception. It is because of the over-the-top characters that it is so funny. Edward Norton's character in particular is hilarious just because of the OTT reactions the 'atrocities' of the world draw out of him, and the overly-nice attitude he oozes.

There are other things that create humour. The lines are hilariously witty and even the facial expressions created by some of the characters give the film replay value. So IS there anything wrong with it?

I, personally, don't believe the dated storyline creates an obstruction, but I do feel that there is a problem with the dramatic character arcs. The biggest example of this is Robin Williams' character who goes, in one scene, from being ridiculously hateful, to wanting nothing more than to save his ex-arch-rival. This is where the over-the-top obstructs believability, although it doesn't do enough to make me dislike the film even partially.

The film, although flawed only by the very dramatic character arcs, is thoroughly enjoyable, and DeVito sprinkles just enough dramatic camera angles to support the extremity of the storyline. It is a rare gem, battered at the box office, but very safe in my collection of favourite DVDs.

Enjoy.

-Stoate.

Death to Smoochy fmovies. I'm almost embarrassed to say it but I really enjoy this film. I say that because of the humor is sick, mainly the tirades spouted by Robin Williams (especially with kids nearby). Otherwise, this black comedy offers a really wonderful character as the lead good guy: "Smoochy the Rhino," played well by Edward Norton. How Norton could deliver some of these lines with a straight face is beyond me. He must have required numerous takes. He's a real hoot in here.

Despite what you might have read from national critics, there are a lot of laughs in this film. I also thought the cinematography was interesting with vivid, fascinating colors and some nice closeup shots. For a comedy, I don't expect photography to be as good as it is in here. Kudos to the director and cinematographer.

Williams, as the bitter dethroned kiddies TV host, " 'Rainbow' Randolph Smiley," is, well.....Robin Williams, which means very profane and very funny. I expect that sort of profanity out of him, and he gets away with it here and there because of his great comedic talent, but I hate to hear it from female leads who are supposed to be likable. That's the case with Catherine Keener, who seems to play a lot of these hard-looking, foul- mouthed women.....although "Smoochy" finally softens her up by the end of this story.

At any rate, you have to appreciate black comedy and this kind of almost-perverse humor, to like this movie. Of acquaintances who have viewed this film, I am the only one who liked it

I have been updating my movie knowledge of Ed Norton movies and came across this film that I'd never even heard of. Then I read some of the reviews and thought "aah, this might be one of those really bad B-category craps" but I watched it anyway. Well, first of all, this movie really is funny! Totally over the top, colourful, cheesy, sticky sweet mess of fun, black comedy and drama. I loved the characters, and Smoochy (Edward Norton) is absolutely adorable. He looks like he really enjoyed being this goofy guy in a rhino costume and he's having fun with it. The medical centre scene is so hilarious I had to watch it again and again, as well as the scene when he has to improvise in front of the kids. Brilliant. Hysterical. I loved every minute of this movie. Of course, it's just a sidelined little project, never became a blockbuster, and it does need a certain mood to be enjoyable, but it still got on my ultimate funny-movie top list. De Vito did a good job directing it, so well done!

It figures that Death to Smoochy didn't get too much advertisement and recommendations...it handles about a sensible and often occurring topic. Entertainment programs for children that are turned into big business, rules and controlled by people who don't care about anything but money, fame and commercializing. Death to Smootch shows how it's perfectly possible to cover up a world of bribery, fraud and blackmail behind the curtains of a colorful and jolly kid-show. Edward Nortons stars as Smoochy the Rhino. His character is dragged head over heals into the business when old-timer Rainbow Randolph is convicted of illegal actions. Smoochy is a pure character and his only intentions are to educate children and enlighten them with some important values of life, but he soon gets faced with the facts that the producers don't care about this at all. Death to Smoochy really succeeds in critisizing the greed in the media-business and manages to portray the producers and sponsors as a real bunch of vultures. It also gives a good image of the downward spiral of insanity someone is going through when he's borne down on the lee shore. Certainly recommended for the intriguing story and surrounding but in the very first place, for the brilliant characters that are involved in this story. The Irish mobsters impress and entertain the most...The sequences where they're "taking care of everything" are the funniest parts in this movie. Director DeVito (his fifth movie as a director and maybe the best of them all) cast himself terrifically as the greedy shorty who introduces himself as the new impresario. Jon Stewart's character is memorable because he has the dorkiest haircut I've ever seen. And then there's Edward Norton of course...needless to say that he's a very solid actor who acts like a true professional, no matter if the production is huge or not. Give Death to Smoochy a watch...it'll certainly be one of the most sparklingly satires you'll ever see.