How many ways can you extol a typical Hollywood film? Every movie has to have some sort of story arc, a love interest, some sort of character dynamic, set series of problems and solutions, and a whole load of other stock situations and cinematographic tropes. Still, within this straitjacket there is a great potential for innovative and entertaining art. Death to Smoochy is a good example of a film that never quite strays too far from Hollywood formula, yet consistently delivers fun and hilarity.
From the marquee power of this film alone, one could easily judge this to be worth watching.
Danny DeVito delivers another quality film from the driver’s seat, and stars Edward Norton and Robin Williams are exquisite to watch. Especially after seeing his other roles as a neo-Nazi and mild-mannered schizophrenic, the entertainment value of Norton prancing around in a mauve rhino costume while singing goofy-ass songs is intense. Robin Williams’ comedy is, as always, frenetic enough to make one think he’s on coke again.
But two things about Williams will forever place him above other “crazy” comics like Jim Carrey or Tom Green: his ability to actually demonstrate a range of insane intensity, and a capacity to exude intelligent wit while being a complete nut.
The pace of the film is well wrought. Eschewing dull spots, it begins briskly and consistently builds, growing more enjoyable every ten minutes.
The entire production is nicely coordinated to peak five minutes before the film’s end, at which point it does lose a bit of momentum as it clicks into typical action-movie cliché. Despite this and other minor detractions, the total package is still impressive.
One other thing that sets the film apart is its soundtrack—though not quite on par with some of Tarantino’s colossal period collections from films like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, it still evokes an atmosphere of New York tinged with enough pop edge to infuse the entire film with gritty sweetness.
So, don’t be fooled by the bizarre ad campaigns and seemingly inexplicable trailers; this movie is well made, if lengthily plotted and difficult to encapsulate.
Any movie with midgets, Nazis and the Irish mob is worth a cheap Tuesday viewing at the very least.
