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I have a confession to make. I have a dark side. And I’ve always secretly dreamed of punching out one of those ultra-cheery overstuffed cartoony mascots (my brother once did — but that’s another story). So I guess it was that dark secret that drew me to Death to Smoochy.
Robin Willaims plays Rainbow Randolph, a popular kids’ show host who’s reduced to somewhat demented obsessiveness when he’s caught trying to make a few illegal bucks on the side and loses his job. The TV network, in an attempt to recover their squeaky-clean image, hires Smoochy (Edward Norton), a giant purple rhino, to take over. Sheldon Mopes, who plays Smoochy, is a lovable, naïve guy who immediately gets on everyone’s nerves. He refuses to endorse big-dollar Smoochy products – like action figures and soda and breakfast cereal. And he sings songs about organic foods. Sheldon doesn’t believe in making money off the show — he just wants to help the kids.
Determined to get his old job back, Randolph plots to destroy Smoochy’s reputation. But he’s not the only one out to get Smoochy. Even the greedy network execs want him out of the picture.
Just thinking back and picturing scenes from this movie makes me burst out laughing all over again. I guess that’s just my dark side coming out again… But I can’t help it. Some of it is just that funny — and it really does make me wonder what goes on behind the scenes of real kids’ shows (and it makes me just a little bit afraid to have children).
I’ll admit, however, that the end of this movie disappointed me. I just didn’t get the payoff I was hoping for. In fact, a few plot lines disappointed me — and when I watched the disagreeable producer, Nora (Catherine Keener), start to soften and fall for Sheldon, I cringed (and I wanted to throw something at the TV). Why, I wondered, couldn’t this just be a nice, dark movie — all the way to the end?
But that said, I still enjoyed the movie as a whole. It was demented and a bit twisted — and I liked it.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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