Death to Smoochy

What stands out first about Death to Smoochy is the confidence with which Danny DeVito establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Death to Smoochy asks Robin Williams and Edward Norton to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Death to Smoochy is established with useful clarity: A kids' show host, Rainbow Randolph, is fired in disgrace while his replacement, Sheldon Mopes, A.K.A. Smoochy the Rhino, finds himself a rising star. That direct approach lets Death to Smoochy use its 1h 49m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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Death to Smoochy is most involving when the screenplay allows Rainbow Randolph to complicate what initially appears to be a story about Sheldon Mopes. That shift gives Robin Williams a more specific problem to carry through Death to Smoochy. Working from material credited to Adam Resnick, Death to Smoochy reveals Smoochy the Rhino at a measured pace instead of rushing toward its largest turn. The later pressure around Unfortunately shows why Death to Smoochy benefits whenever cause and consequence remain visibly connected.

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Visually, Death to Smoochy is most persuasive when performer rhythm guides attention without becoming an attraction separate from the drama. Warner Bros. supports Death to Smoochy with performer rhythm, giving individual scenes a shared design logic. The United Kingdom production character of Death to Smoochy is clearest in its use of comic timing built around character to make place feel consequential. Even during its busiest moments, Death to Smoochy benefits from an edit and sound mix that protect the immediate emotional line.

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Danny DeVito gives Death to Smoochy a directorial line that is uncertain about tone and dramatic emphasis from its opening promise to its final movement. The staging of Death to Smoochy is strongest when Danny DeVito allows motivation to determine pace instead of reversing that priority. Viewed as a complete piece, Death to Smoochy confirms that isolated moments suggest a more compelling version across most of the running time. A tighter version of Death to Smoochy would address how events happen without gathering enough dramatic force, yet the surrounding work remains persuasive.

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Death to Smoochy relies heavily on Robin Williams, and the performance responds with enough specificity to carry changes in mood. The contribution of Edward Norton gives Death to Smoochy a useful counterweight instead of merely echoing the lead. Catherine Keener makes the smaller exchanges in Death to Smoochy count, often through timing rather than emphatic dialogue. Danny DeVito understands that Death to Smoochy becomes more persuasive when the cast can imply feelings before the script names them.

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The central idea running through Death to Smoochy concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Robin Williams gives that idea a human scale, allowing Death to Smoochy to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to Smoochy the Rhino, Death to Smoochy turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Danny DeVito lets Death to Smoochy leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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Death to Smoochy ends as a film for only the most curious members of its likely audience, especially for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. What remains from Death to Smoochy is the relationship between Robin Williams, performer rhythm and Danny DeVito's control of mood. The weakness that events happen without gathering enough dramatic force narrows the impact of Death to Smoochy without cancelling its better work. On balance, Death to Smoochy gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.