Death To Smoochy (2002)

Voices: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Danny DeVito
Director: Danny DeVito

Rating: R

Studio: ?

Review Posted: 3.31.01

Spoilers: Minor

Rating: 4/4

By Craig Younkin.

Behind the scenes corruption, mob-controlled sponsors, constant selling out and above all, the likely-hood of getting whacked. Welcome to the world of children's television, as envisioned through the eyes of two people who saw past the generic comedy genre to make one of the darkest films ever, and one of the meanest and funniest since "South Park". This isn't just sick humor, "Death to Smoochy" is Candyland controlled by mental patients.

This film by director Danny DeVito and writer Adam Resnick is a true original, filled with a fantastic amount of wit, and a playful and tasteless sense of outrageous humor. It's a film that looks at the integrity of television, and in these dark days of "Baby Bob", which I believe used to be a commercial spokes-tool, it is a more than valid thing to joke.

Another great part of "Death to Smoochy" is seeing Robin Williams in hyper mode again. Thankfully he has figured out that people like "Bicentennial Man" and "Patch Adams" are pathetic and that the real deal comes with characters like Rainbow Randolph, the host of a children's show on the network of Kidnet.

When he is caught accepting a bribe, scandal rocks the network and he is fired and replaced by Sheldon Mopes, aka Smoochy the Rhino (Edward Norton), a moralistic hippie who spends most of his time singing to smack addicts at the Coney Island Methadone Clinic. The hiring of Mopes makes Randolph increasingly more irritable, as well as homeless and penniless. He begins plotting his revenge against Smoochy while the shows producer (Jon Stewart) and Sheldon's agent (Danny DeVito) are also trying to get Smoochy out of the way because of his strong stance against commercializing the Smoochy name, especially in the promotion of an Ice Show. Soon Sheldon realizes that his only real friend is the network's top programming exec, Nora, played by Catharine Keener. Nora used to be Randolph's ex-lover, so it only enrages him further when he finds out that Sheldon and her are having a fling.

In addition to being a drop-dead riot, Smoochy also features original and unforgettable songs like "Friends Come in All Sizes", "We're going to get you off that smack, oh yes we will", and the one that sure to become a classic, "Stepdad's not mean, he's just adjusting". These songs are just another example of the newfound wit that has been absent from movies for so long.

The performances are also hilarious. Williams returns with a wonderful madness, spreading maniacal glee throughout the entire movie, as well as a vulnerability that allows him to alternate between pathetic and human. Norton is perfect in finding the laughs in his straight arrow character, and Michael Rispoli all but steals it as a brain damaged former boxer who is given a part on Smoochy's show. DeVito has assembled a great comic cast and all of them are flawless in delivery.

"Death to Smoochy" is an extraordinary comedy that works for so many reasons, the biggest of course is that DeVito knows what comedy is even though his acting choices usually don't mirror that (wink wink Screwed, What's the Worst that Could Happen?). This puts him at the head of the class, and is surely going on my best list at the end of the year.

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