Death to Smoochy (2002)

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writer (WGA):

Adam Resnick (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Get ready for an unexpected hit.

Plot:

When he is fired for taking payola, the host for a children's television show plots revenge against his replacement, a rhino named Smoochy.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Television | Network Executive | Ratings | Bribery

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Rainbow Randolph
Edward Norton	...	Sheldon Mopes / Smoochy the Rhino
Catherine Keener	...	Nora Wells
Danny DeVito	...	Burke Bennett
Jon Stewart	...	Marion Frank Stokes
Pam Ferris	...	Tommy Cotter
Danny Woodburn	...	Angelo Pike
Michael Rispoli	...	Spinner Dunn
Harvey Fierstein	...	Merv Green
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Buggy Ding Dong
Craig Eldridge	...	Husband
Judy White	...	Wife
Tim MacMenamin	...	Danny
Bruce McFee	...	Roy
Glen Cross	...	Jimmy

Also Known As:

Tötet Smoochy (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual references.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #38779) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Germany:16 | Norway:7 | Philippines:PG-13 | Spain:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Features a shot of Catherine Keener whizzing a Frisbee at Edward Norton which is very similar to a shot in The War of the Roses (1989) which was also directed by Danny DeVito.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the beginning when Nora talks to Sheldon Mopes/Smoochy ('Edward Norton') she accidentally calls him "Ed".

Quotes:

Sheldon: When my brothers and I played cowboys and Indians, I was always the Chinese railroad worker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Henry Rollins: Up for It (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

My Stepdad's Not Mean (He's Just Adjusting)

Hillarious dark comedy

This film is a dark comedy directed by Danny DeVito about the cut throat world of children's television. In this film, a popular children's show host (Robin Williams, more madcap than he's been in ages) gets caught taking a bribe and is fired, being replaced by the squeaky clean Smoochy the Rhino (Edward Norton, who is excellent in the role). Of course the former host wants his job back and sets out to "get" Smoochy... Of course everything but the kitchen sink gets thrown into the plot from organized crime to Nazis.. and everything is hillarious. A very dark film that is rated "R" for language, this film is bound to be somewhat controversal as some may be offended by the language and view of childrens programming portrayed here, but if you have an open mind going in the film is drop dead funny.. It does tend to drag a tad in the midsection as a subplot about a disabled former boxer gets tacked on, but the film is very entertaining and worth catching at the theatre. GRADE: A-