DVD Review: Danny DeVito’s Death to Smoochy on Warner Home Video

Both flatulent and sporadically funny, DeVito’s Death to Smoochy will feel right at home next to those Barney DVDs.

Death to SmoochyRemember when it was cool to make fun of Barney and scream “whassup” when charging into a room? Well, with Death to Smoochy, director Danny DeVito seems to hawk jokes left over from ’90s SNL skits and talk shows that took aim at Mr. Purple. Much like his dino predecessor, Smoochy is “squeaky fucking clean,” which is why he becomes such a hit with the kiddies. As played by Edward Norton, Smoochy has a bit of an edge despite his fondness for wheat grass and almond butter. Before “Rainbow Randolph” (Robin Williams) loses his primo TV gig for selling airtime to uppity parents, Smoochy (Sheldon, outside the fuscia digs) itches to reach an audience outside a Coney Island methadone clinic. Not only is Death to Smoochy late in coming, it amounts to nothing more than a tedious jumble of awkward lighting, aimless satire and cocaine-induced vaudeville courtesy of Mr. Williams. This is not to say that Smoochy is not without its charms. The film’s song and dance numbers (my favorite: Smoochy’s “But My Stepdad Is Not Mean, He’s Just Adjusting”) become acerbic respites from a plot that couldn’t be any less concerned with taking jabs at the wishy-washy children’s entertainment industry. New York City is the film’s dubious backdrop, the pointless stage for a cultural battle that pits crack addicts against network bigwigs. A better, less anxious script would have acknowledged Smoochy’s naïveté and blamed him for abandoning his humanitarianism for the buck. But, even then, Death to Smoochy is too out-of-sync with what it’s trying to poke fun at to ever really have anything worthwhile to say about the responsibility of network television and the spectacle of youth culture. Much like Williams, Death to Smoochy has already reached its expiration date.

Image/Sound

On this widescreen edition of Death to Smoochy (the Fullscreen Edition is sold separately), Warner Home Video offers a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film. The results are on the soft side but color saturation and shadow delineation is impressive. The 5.1 Digital Surround track is on the bland side. Separation is great but the mixing of dialogue, sound effects and score can get grating during the film’s more kinetic sequences.

Extras

The screen-specific audio commentary by Danny DeVito and director of photography Anastas Michos has its share of dry spots though DeVito’s humor and passion for his actors makes it of interest. Fittingly, the disc’s behind-the-scenes documentary plays out like an extended music video mixing cast interviews with backstage buffoonery. A lot more fun is a bloopers and outtakes sequence heavy on the expletives. Also included here are 10 deleted scenes, a useless interactive ice show feature, two theatrical trailers and five photo galleries.

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Overall

Both flatulent and sporadically funny, DeVito’s Death to Smoochy will feel right at home next to those Barney DVDs. Parents are encouraged to scare toddlers to death by mixing their respective DVD cases.

Score: 
 Cast: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Danny DeVito, Jon Stewart, Catherine Keener, Harvey Fierstein, Pam Ferris, Michael Rispoli  Director: Danny DeVito  Screenwriter: Adam Resnick  Distributor: Warner Home Video  Running Time: 109 min  Rating: R  Year: 2002  Release Date: September 17, 2002  Buy: Video

Ed Gonzalez

Ed Gonzalez is the co-founder of Slant Magazine. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, his writing has appeared in The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

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