Movies

I've never seen a Danny De Vito film I didn't like, and Smoochy is no exception. Original and creative at every turn, with great performances from Edward Norton, Robin Williams, Catherine Keener, and everyone else in the cast. I smiled and/or laughed through the whole film. What more can you ask from a bent and twisted comedy, I ask you?

Am I the only one who sees this as a modern spin on the movie NETWORK?!? The parallels are extraordinary. Both are about executives finding a new talent that they want to exploit to the general public, but when he becomes too popular, they want to get rid of him. Sure the outcome and general details vary, but the basic theme is virtually identical.I'm going on the record to say I actually enjoyed this story a lot. The light fluffy delivery made a good contrast to the deep black ideas being played on. The leads played their characters to the right tone, and the supports showed off brilliantly. A wicked treat.

"Death to Smoochy" is a fair to middling satire of the media and those who play in it. It certainly bears the slightly warped touch of director Danny DeVito, who surrounds himself with like minded performers such as Robin Williams, Edward Norton and Jon Stewart. His choice for the ice skating opera diva is also in keeping with this theme, choosing the unconventional (and somewhat controversial in opera circles) Lauren Flanigan to poke fun at her genre. Although the plot centers on children's television, the language is certainly more for an adult audience, hence the R rating. By the way, a note to the Julliard School's Alumni Association, rumors of Ms. Flanigan's demise, as listed in your latest directory, are grossly exaggerated.