... this film embraces an R-rating that can cause damage to a small child's fragile mind (or educate them prematurely.)
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:119
Fresh:50
Rotten:69
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: The talent involved can't save a script that has nowhere to go with its promising premise.
Theatrical Release:Mar 29, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $8,308,230
Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]
Starring: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito
Starring: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito, Jon Stewart, Harvey Fierstein, Michael Rispoli, Pam Ferris, Danny Woodburn, Vincent Schiavelli, Elvis Stojko
Director: Danny DeVito
Director: Danny DeVito
Screenwriter: Adam Resnick
Producer: Andrew Lazar, Peter MacGregor-Scott
Composer: David Newman
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Death to Smoochy
DeVito and Resnick revive an old joke with such venomous verve that it feels freshly wicked.
They took a risk here, hoping to make a wildly offbeat and hilarious comedy unlike anything else to ever hit a movie screen, and they failed.
Helmer DeVito...attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics, payola, vice, murder, kids’ TV and revenge.
Death to Smoochy is often very funny, but what's even more remarkable is the integrity of DeVito's misanthropic vision.
I'm sure that some country, maybe France or something, will hail this as a work of genius, because it is so incredibly awful.
Dreadfully, historically unfunny -- a career low for DeVito, Williams (which is saying something) and certainly Norton.
The film is, quite literally, loathsome on every level -- cruel, vulgar, mean-spirited, ugly to look at and ugly at heart.
There's much sinister fun here for those who appreciate its unapologetically twisted excesses.
The result comes out loud, brash, vulgar, and considerably entertaining.
Runs out of gas before the finish line, and detours into an unconvincing cop-out of a climax that plays like something propelled by a last-minute failure of nerve.
A rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children's television.
This is a particularly toxic little bonbon, palatable to only a chosen and very jaundiced few.
Latest News for Death to Smoochy
January 05, 2006:
Jon Stewart to Host the Oscars!
Every news outlet, movie site, and cine-blog is reporting the news, so I'll just cite good ol' ComingSoon.net as our source, but there's the good news: Everyone's favorite... More...
January 03, 2006:
Vincent Schiavelli Passes at 57
Character actor Vincent Schiavelli, the long-faced veteran of over 150 film and television appearances, died of lung cancer December 26 at home in Sicily. He was 57 years old. More...
February 25, 2002:
It should be noted that when 'black comedies' push the envelope too far, their subsequent box office suffers. Prime recent examples would be: Freddy Got Fingered, Very Bad Things, Whipped, and Jawbreaker. ![]()
More...
February 06, 2002:
The working environment of the shoot may have been buoyant, but as DeVito points out, the film at times is anything but. ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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