For the fifth and last Sunday of January, or my month of Robin Williams, it was a choice between "Good Will Hunting" and "Death to Smoochy", and I was much too intrigued by a black comedy with such a stellar cast, and a... Razzie-nominated Robin Williams. I didn't even know. While it is a certainly flawed movie and a vision that ultimately goes underwhelming places, it is also a likeable one.
A TV kids show host, Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams), is fired in disgrace after taking bribes for putting people on the show, and the network now has to find someone squeaky clean, with a heart of gold, and they score with Sheldon Mopes a.k.a. Smoochy the Rhino. Unfortunately for Sheldon, kids television business turns out to be no child's play.
As far as black comedies go, I found "Death to Smoochy" to be a fine example of the genre. A kids TV satire with a foul mouth and plenty of darkness for Danny DeVito to play around in the director's chair. The premise is promising and interesting, till, around the middle parts, it gets more and more apparent that we will end up someplace quite familiar, and it was very easy to predict the fates of most characters early on. Nonetheless, the colorful and shady business of children's television endures a carnivalic feast of sorts, as the combination of awesome acting performances, energetic direction and technical flair helps to roll it along.
Edward Norton is a perfect fit for the sweet, moralistic, naïve new world hero Smoochy, while Robin Williams is more demented than ever as the off-the-rails Rainbow Randolph, set to regain his sunshine at any cost. Did he deserve a Razzie nomination? Hell no. Is it fun to see him in such an atypical, villainous role? Hell yes. Additionally, Catherine Keener is good as the love interest of all kids show hosts, and Michael Rispoli heartily plays Spinner Dunn, the man with the saddest story of them all. And DeVito himself portrays an show business agent, fits him like a glove, and somehow appears nostalgic to me.
"Death to Smoochy" is often vulgar and mean, but not without wit and sarcasm, often loses momentum, but doesn't cease to be fun. Couple chuckles are guaranteed too, at least. All depends how will you be vibing with this. My rating: 6/10
