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Movies / On DVD / Death to Smoochy
Death to Smoochy

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Death to Smoochy (2002)

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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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and sexual references

Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins

Genre: Comedies

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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Release:

Sep 17, 2002

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Reviews for Death to Smoochy

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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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... this film embraces an R-rating that can cause damage to a small child's fragile mind (or educate them prematurely.)

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
04/12/02
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

DeVito and Resnick revive an old joke with such venomous verve that it feels freshly wicked.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
04/09/02
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

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.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
04/08/02
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/05/02
Boston Phoenix

Helmer DeVito...attempts to do too many things in this story about ethics, payola, vice, murder, kids’ TV and revenge.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/04/02
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A twisted collision of "Barney" "The Fisher King" and "Serpico."

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
04/04/02
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Death to Smoochy is often very funny, but what's even more remarkable is the integrity of DeVito's misanthropic vision.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/02/02
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is an uneven film, to be sure, but it is still a lot of fun.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
04/01/02
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

I'm sure that some country, maybe France or something, will hail this as a work of genius, because it is so incredibly awful.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
04/01/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dreadfully, historically unfunny -- a career low for DeVito, Williams (which is saying something) and certainly Norton.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
04/01/02
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

The film is, quite literally, loathsome on every level -- cruel, vulgar, mean-spirited, ugly to look at and ugly at heart.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
04/01/02
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

There's much sinister fun here for those who appreciate its unapologetically twisted excesses.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/02
Michael Tunison
Michael Tunison
Boxoffice Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
03/31/02
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

Sadly, a pending death for Smoochy is not instantaneous enough.

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
03/31/02
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

The result comes out loud, brash, vulgar, and considerably entertaining.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/31/02
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
03/29/02
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
San Francisco Examiner

A rude black comedy about the catalytic effect a holy fool has upon those around him in the cutthroat world of children's television.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/29/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A blacker than black comedy.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/29/02
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a particularly toxic little bonbon, palatable to only a chosen and very jaundiced few.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/29/02
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

A misfire of spectacular proportions.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/29/02
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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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. Opens in new window
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. Opens in new window
More...

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