Film Review: Death to Smoochy (2002)
In 2002 Robin Williams gave impression of being tired to death with the roles of loveable clowns and tried very hard to deliver something completely different. In a very short time he played characters that were quite opposite – a psychopathic killer in Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia and disturbed stalker in One Hour Photo. Some may argue that he went even further with his role in Death to Smoochy, 2002 black comedy directed by Danny DeVito, which could be interpreted as something of sinister parody of his screen persona.
Williams actually doesn’t play protagonist in the strictest of sense. At the beginning of the film his character is introduced as Randolph “Rainbow” Smiley, immensely popular and successful host of children’s television show at KidTV network. Wealth and fame, however, aren’t enough for Randolph so he takes bribes from fame-hungry parents in order to let their children take part in the show. When the scheme gets revealed, resulting scandal results in Randolph being disgraced and fired from network whose executives now must find replacement unburdened with alcoholism, greed and violent temper. Ambitious producer Nora Wells (played by Catherine Keener) finds perfect candidate in Sheldon Mopes (played by Edward Norton), an idealist who believes that his alter ego – rhinoceros Smoochy – would help children lead to right path and thus build a better, healthier and more just world. After Sheldon gets his show, he becomes instant hit but, despite his popularity, tensions with corporate executive arise due Sheldon’s promotion of healthy food instead of candies and hamburgers. In order to protect himself from the pressure, Sheldon hires theatrical agent Burke Bennett (played by Danny DeVito) who reveals himself to be corrupt and connected to organised crime. But his problems are nothing compared with the diabolical plan of revenge by embittered Randolph.
Death to Smoochy is, despite notable names in front and behind camera, one of the more obscure titles in Williams’ filmography. This could be explained with its catastrophic results at the box office, with the audience simply refusing to accept beloved screen icon as hypocritical, violent and unhinged villain. Williams’ performance is, however, more than solid and another proof that his acting range is much broader than his most popular films might suggest. Edward Norton as naive hero is also good, showing that the actor can work in comedies as well as in serious dramas. Danny DeVito, whose best directorial efforts like Throw Momma from the Train and War of the Roses showed knack for black comedy, seems to be at ease here. It is the script by Adam Resnick that is causing major problems, partly because it shows dilemmas whether to go towards satire of modern American media or more broader humour. The plot is too complicated, with some characters and subplot not properly developed, and the running time is longer than it should be. The ending, which parodies the finale of The Manchurian Candidate, is not particularly effective. However, most of the viewers, or at least those not conditioned to Williams’ screen persona, would probably disregard those flaws, enjoy some of the humour and see Death of Smoochy as more than a curiosity.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
Leofinance blog https://leofinance.io/@drax.leo
Unstoppable Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com/?ref=3fc23fc42c1b417
Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax y
Bitcoin Lightning HIVE donations: https://v4v.app/v1/lnurlp/qrcode/drax
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
Posted using CineTV