I'm going to attempt to showcase a bit of a throwback or widely unknown movie weekly from now on, the first would've been Millions but that would make it tri-monthly so we'll just make this the starting point. Seriously, this movie, awesome. Why it wasn't a huge hit I'll never know but I encourage everyone to see this immediately. While it recieved much acclaim and gets regular airtime on Comedy Central (nice in, Jon Stewart) I still don't very often meet people who've seen or heard of it. So here is your insentive.
First of all, what a cast. I mean Norton, Keener, DeVito, Williams, Stewart, little people! It follows angelic, aspiring children's singer/songwriter Sheldon Mopes aka Smoochy (Norton) when he is picked up by reluctant, cynical and in some cases corrupt children's network execs (Keener, Stewart) following the downfall of their most popular star and host Rainbow Randolph (Williams) who then makes it his personal mission to destroy Mopes and the Smoochy-mania he has innocently created. Williams turns in yet another hilarious performance. I attribute his greatness in the role to the complete low-life, scum he plays so well, so crassly and with such unapologetic energy. The number of times you will hear him say cock, dick, fuck, and all those other yummy things he only ever gets to say in his stand-up make me happier than just about anything else. Then there is Danny DeVito, who plays Sheldon's weasel agent (who is a lot like an R-rated version of his character in Matilda) and tries to bring him down to the no bullshit, rough, hard real world of children's television--how can this not be funny? Keener, known more recently for her role in The 40 Year Old Virgin succeeds in being a greedy bitch yet somehow lovable, very lovable, and also slutty. You throw in the irish mafia and Spinner, who is practically Anthony Quinn from Requiem for a Heavyweight reincarnated, to a mix where you already have Edward Norton--formally covered in swastikas in American History X--gallavanting around in a pink rhino suit teaching children in sing-song and this movie is definitely hysterical. Other signs of comic genius:
Robin Williams handling phallic cookies? Check.
A guy named Buggy Ding Dong? Check.
Directed by Danny DeVito? Check.
Nazi rally? Check.
Yeah, thats pretty much all it takes for me to know something will be enjoyable, I don't want to give away all of the hilarious tidbits that make this movie great but in all honesty it is a movie that you know must have been so fun for these actors to just be silly and try to create some sort of modern, fluffy film noir. I'm not saying someone should slap a bunch of stars on the DVD case because it isn't really attempting to prove anything it is however an attempt gone right at mocking pre-pubescent culture and anytime someone can take something like that and flip it around into something grim and sleazy I think it deserves credit for originality and general hootzpah. The next time you see it on Comedy Central take a while to check it out, even if you hate it tell people about it, then you can both talk about how much you hated it or fight over how much someone else loved it. Point is, see it, spread the word!
My Rating: B+
(In my opinion the following trailer doesn't do much justice but nonetheless, here ya go.)
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