Death to Smoochy (2002)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writer (WGA):

Adam Resnick (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Get ready for an unexpected hit.

Plot:

When he is fired for taking payola, the host for a children's television show plots revenge against his replacement, a rhino named Smoochy.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Television | Network Executive | Ratings | Bribery

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Rainbow Randolph
Edward Norton	...	Sheldon Mopes / Smoochy the Rhino
Catherine Keener	...	Nora Wells
Danny DeVito	...	Burke Bennett
Jon Stewart	...	Marion Frank Stokes
Pam Ferris	...	Tommy Cotter
Danny Woodburn	...	Angelo Pike
Michael Rispoli	...	Spinner Dunn
Harvey Fierstein	...	Merv Green
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Buggy Ding Dong
Craig Eldridge	...	Husband
Judy White	...	Wife
Tim MacMenamin	...	Danny
Bruce McFee	...	Roy
Glen Cross	...	Jimmy

Also Known As:

Tötet Smoochy (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual references.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #38779) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Germany:16 | Norway:7 | Philippines:PG-13 | Spain:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Features a shot of Catherine Keener whizzing a Frisbee at Edward Norton which is very similar to a shot in The War of the Roses (1989) which was also directed by Danny DeVito.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Rainbow grabs the light to smash the TV there is a bulb in it. But when we see him hitting it, there is no bulb inside the light.

Quotes:

[Randolf is pinned by Sheldon]
Randolph: Nooo! You're to close to the fire - the flames are driving me maaaaaad!

Movie Connections:

References American Psycho (2000)

Soundtrack:

The Friends Song

Hilariously intelligent and original satire.

With a brilliant cast, well written script and precise direction, this black comedy is well worth watching.

I can understand that some people didn't like it, as black comedy isn't for everyone; especially black comedy set around the business of children's television. But Death to Smoochy is an intelligent and well written film that is completely original.

Edward Norton is spot on as the moralistic Sheldon Mopes and Robin Williams is absolutely hilarious as the off the rails Rainbow Randolph. This doesn't however, take away from the rest of the cast, who are also all perfect.

The story line is tight and entertaining to the very last second. I've looked very hard to find fault with this film - and I can't find any. Even the ending, which could be construed as sugary sweet, fits into the fantasy type world of the film.

The important thing to remember about this film is that it's a satire, and taking a satire seriously is a big mistake. A funny and interesting satire is very hard to do, but in this instance it's something that Adam Resnick and Danny Danny DeVito have achieved brilliantly.