To make matters worse, a fed up Angelo kicks Randolph out of his house. The result is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of a … Nonetheless, despite this mishmash of content, somehow DeVito's loopy pace and zany, twisted sense of humour never quite loses the audience even at its most imbalanced, but instead only becomes more bizarre (often appealingly so) without sacrificing the entertainment front. "[11] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "This black-comic assault on family entertainment is going to set a lot of teeth on edge—If only his (DeVito's) material were better this time. The Smoochy costume is a mass of misshapen orange … The film tanked at the box office, making back less than twenty percent of its budget and earning Robin Williams a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor. During World War II, an ordinary inhabitant of a ghetto fakes news about Allied offensives to inspire hope for other victims of the Nazi regime. Those with lesser gifts would have lacked the nerve to make a film so bad, so miscalculated, so lacking any connection with any possible audience. Tommy decides to take care of Burke and Marion in her own way (murdering them offscreen, in a deleted scene), Sheldon and Nora share a kiss in Times Square, and Smoochy and Randolph launch a new show together alongside Nora, who becomes an ice skater. "[13] David Sterritt of The Christian Science Monitor called the film a "razor-sharp satire" and "the most refreshingly outrageous movie of the season. The film begins with the fall of Rainbow Randolph when he is arrested for racketeering, ending his career and ruining his public image. Meanwhile, Randolph is slowly turning insane with his only thoughts focusing on killing Smoochy and getting back to his life of luxury. Barry Levinson and Billy Crystal during the party for the premiere of "Death To Smoochy" at the Laura Belle's in New York City. Yet this reaction proves all the more disappointing considering the rare treat the film offers - one of a steadily decreasing few which genuinely subvert viewer expectations. Most movies have good points and bad points, but Death to Smoochy falls into the peculiar category of having its good points be very good and its bad points be very bad. The site's critical consensus states, "The talent involved can't save a script that has nowhere to go with its promising premise. Death to Smoochy is a 2002 satirical black comedy crime film directed by Danny DeVito and written by Adam Resnick. In the DVD commentary, Danny DeVito says it was the only shot in the movie that the towers were in. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero movies coming in 2021 and beyond. It's not a rocket, you dumb fuck! View production, box office, & company info. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Burke and Marion decide to partner up after hearing of Merv's death. Tommy and her crew barge into Angelo's apartment and force Randolph to confess that he tricked Sheldon. Sheldon quickly finds himself losing creative control over his show to Nora, but with the help of his new corrupt agent Burke Bennett, Sheldon renegotiates his contract and is named executive producer. Death to Smoochy left me extremely unsatisfied. The film starts off as a devilish satire of network television, with Norton's sickeningly wholesome entertainer Sheldon Mopes thrust into the fish out of water figure in a sea full of greedy, merchandise obsessed execs. Starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton, DeVito, Catherine Keener and Jon Stewart, the film centers on "Rainbow" Randolph Smiley (Williams), a disgraced former children's TV host who attempts to sabotage his replacement, Sheldon Mopes, and his character, Smoochy the Rhino (Norton). When Tommy gets word of this, she retaliates by killing Merv and his men. However, their plan backfires when, during a rehearsal, Merv's men mistake Spinner in his Moochy costume for Sheldon and murder him. He then corners Mopes and Nora in their penthouse and threatens to kill them. Buy Online, Pick up in Store Check Availability at Nearby Stores. Death to Smoochy pits two clownish buffoons against one another. It's one of the better movies I've seen in the past 15 years. Hilarious from start to finish and one heck of a good black comedy. After telling him that his show is back on the air, Nora kisses Sheldon and the two have sex. Times Square, 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Nonetheless, as fresh as such a fusion of the comedic and the grotesque may be, the lack of obvious prerequisites also results in Death to Smoochy suffering from certain design flaws. Death to Smoochy is one of a kind. Add the first question. Similarly, fans of Robin Williams' less family sanctioned stand-up act will be enthralled by his performance as unhinged Rainbow Randolph. Fired in disgrace, kids show host Randolph Smiley finds himself out on the street, while his replacement Sheldon Mopes, finds himself on the fast track to success with a new hit show as the proud purple rhino Smoochy.