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Death To Smoochy
2002
Robin Williams goes berserk as Rainbow Randolph, the disgraced host of a children's television show, in director Danny DeVito's fast-paced satire, DEATH TO SMOOCHY. Busted by the Feds for accepting a bribe to get a child on his show, Randolph gets booted from his network, Kidnet, and is replaced by the earnest do-gooder Sheldon .. Read more
| Starring | Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Tim MacMenamin, Bruce McFee |
|---|---|
| Director | Danny De Vito |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Death To Smoochy
Robin Williams goes berserk as Rainbow Randolph, the disgraced host of a children's television show, in director Danny DeVito's fast-paced satire, DEATH TO SMOOCHY. Busted by the Feds for accepting a bribe to get a child on his show, Randolph gets booted from his network, Kidnet, and is replaced by the earnest do-gooder Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton), who plays Smoochy, a loveable pink rhino with a strong resemblance to Barney. Sheldon sums up his own personality with a classic line, "When my brothers and I played cowboys and Indians, I was always the Chinese railroad worker." As Sheldon becomes a superstar, Randolph plots his revenge. Sheldon's refusal to push cheap toys and sugary drinks angers the Kidnet execs, especially tough-as-nails Nora (Catherine Keener). Sheldon also runs up against the Irish mob and his agent (DeVito) gets him into trouble with a corrupt charity. Meanwhile, Nora finds herself falling for the principled performer.
Robin Williams is amazing, completely shedding his "nice guy" persona and making the shockingly foulmouthed kiddie show host simultaneously hilarious and frightening. Norton does a great job of winning the audience over to his buffoonish but truly good hearted character. He and Keener lend heart to the scathingly funny script by Adam Resnick.
| Starring | Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Tim MacMenamin, Bruce McFee, Bill Lake, Thomas Lyons |
|---|---|
| Director | Danny De Vito |
| Studio | PATHE DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 45 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 16 Jan 2004 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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An odd mix of comedy and drama that could have worked if the writer and director had picked one or the other. Robin Williams, showing he's far more watchable as a sleazy psychotic than some touchy-feely Patch Adams type, is a children's entertainer on TV who finds himself sacked after it's discovered he's been taking backhanders. In his place, a young, idealistic man (Edward Norton) is hired, who dresses up as a Barney-like character named Smoochy and sings to kids about all the good things in the world. Understandably, Williams believes Smoochy must die, so he can get his old job back. The darkly comic elements — as Williams tries more and more despicable ways of despatching Smoochy — work brilliantly, but someone obviously got nervous about such a dark look at children's TV and decided to make it as cute and fluffy as Smoochy by the end.
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This pointed satire on the world of children's TV written by Adam Resnick, who worked on Seinfeld and Larry Sanders,... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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14 out of 20 people found this review helpful
A terrible waste of everybody's time
If ever a great movie idea seemed gift-wrapped from the gods then it's 'Death to Smoochy'. The story of a corrupt kid's TV entertainer(Robin Williams) who swears revenges on the pink rhino who has taken his spot(Edward Norton). It seemed a perfect chance to make a biting satire about corporate manipulation of children's entertainment with an amazing cast and a director who has a track record in black comedies.
What the hell happened?! The film is a disastrous mess. Williams resorts to pulling faces, Norton looks bemused(as well he might), Catherine Keener is wasted in a wafer thin role, and the film fails to raise more than a few chuckles in it's entire running time.
The promising ideas at the start of the film( Norton singing kiddie's songs to heroin addicts, the merchandise meetings.) soon go by the wayside to be replaced by a subplot involving Irish gangsters and a pathetic race-against-time finale.
It seems the filmakers had second thoughts about the tone during the script. What starts as a resolutely adult black comedy winds up with a sentimental climax that's so bad it has to be seen to be believed.
It's a massive disappointment and also proved the final nail in FilmFour's coffin. There aren't many other reasons to remember this awful film. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Entertaining and funny...to a point
Rainbow Randolph is a childrens entertainer with a distinct lack of morals. Accepting bribes for children to appear on his show lands him in hot water, and soon enough, everything he loves (money, fame, power) is stripped away from him. His show is replaced by The Smoochy Show, a great side swipe at Barney The Dinosaur, who is played by the ever placid and centered Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton in another superb performance). Randolph decides that the only way for him to have a another grasp at the brass ring is to discredit Sheldon and Smoochy...then if all else fails...kill him.
A dark satire on the money orientated world of childrens entertainment, the film tries really hard to impress, and does so in its wonderfully acidic script and the chance to see Williams go so mad you begin to worry for his safety at times. However, the film does tend to become a little too moral towards the end, but the sight of Williams casting aside his mushy roots (Patch Adams, Bicentennial Man) and getting back to a slice of adult humour is always worth the price of a rental. -
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Death To Smoochy
Robin Williams goes berserk as Rainbow Randolph, the disgraced host of a children's television show, in director Danny DeVito's fast-paced satire, DEATH TO SMOOCHY. Busted by the Feds for accepting a bribe to get a child on his show, Randolph gets booted from his network, Kidnet, and is replaced by ...
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