Death to Smoochy (2002)
Or, Clowns on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Looks like we have yet another offbeat flick dubbed a disaster by overenthusiastic critics. Black comedy just can't win these days. Heck, I hesitate to call this one a comedy; it fully straddles the line between funny and uncomfortable. In all fairness, this isn't a great movie. It's really uneven (as is Robin Williams's ballyhooed "dark" turn) with a lot of subplots that don't add up to much. (The stuff with the Irish gangsters and the ex-boxer was pretty damn lame.) But when it hits, it hits big -- the absurd performance-art ice show at the film's climax is worth a matinee all by itself. It's dark as hell, too -- this may be the most cynical and paranoid Hollywood product since L.A. Confidential. It's an acidic, noir-flavored attack on Hollywood about idealism vs. the "real world" and the difficulties of maintaining one's integrity and incorruptability while under pressure. (It just happens to be clad in comical clothing.) Thus, Edward Norton's Sheldon Mopes gets beset upon by nigh well everyone. (Norton, by the by, is fucking fantastic. As usual.) Yes, there's a happy ending. Yes, certain people are moved to see the error of their ways by Mopes's relentless cheer. But there's darker shadings to Mopes (a throwaway reference to "anger management"; the creepy primal scream session) that make the sugarcoating wear off a bit. And really, the happy ending is only achieved through some not-so-happy methods. Tough stuff, and still a lot of dead air besides, but worthwhile. Besides, the payoff scene involving Williams's attempt to set up Norton made me laugh so hard that I strained a muscle.
Grade: B-
Or, Clowns on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Looks like we have yet another offbeat flick dubbed a disaster by overenthusiastic critics. Black comedy just can't win these days. Heck, I hesitate to call this one a comedy; it fully straddles the line between funny and uncomfortable. In all fairness, this isn't a great movie. It's really uneven (as is Robin Williams's ballyhooed "dark" turn) with a lot of subplots that don't add up to much. (The stuff with the Irish gangsters and the ex-boxer was pretty damn lame.) But when it hits, it hits big -- the absurd performance-art ice show at the film's climax is worth a matinee all by itself. It's dark as hell, too -- this may be the most cynical and paranoid Hollywood product since L.A. Confidential. It's an acidic, noir-flavored attack on Hollywood about idealism vs. the "real world" and the difficulties of maintaining one's integrity and incorruptability while under pressure. (It just happens to be clad in comical clothing.) Thus, Edward Norton's Sheldon Mopes gets beset upon by nigh well everyone. (Norton, by the by, is fucking fantastic. As usual.) Yes, there's a happy ending. Yes, certain people are moved to see the error of their ways by Mopes's relentless cheer. But there's darker shadings to Mopes (a throwaway reference to "anger management"; the creepy primal scream session) that make the sugarcoating wear off a bit. And really, the happy ending is only achieved through some not-so-happy methods. Tough stuff, and still a lot of dead air besides, but worthwhile. Besides, the payoff scene involving Williams's attempt to set up Norton made me laugh so hard that I strained a muscle.
Grade: B-
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