Death To Smoochy (2002) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Danny DeVito

Cast: Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener

Release Date: August 20, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

Danny DeVito takes the rhino by the horn to direct and co-star in this gleefully twisted skewering of children’s television. Robin Williams, his famed wit set at warp, plays ranting Randolph. Edward Norton is the high-minded goodnik whose righteous rhino creation, Smoochy, becomes a sensation, and Catherine Keener portrays a jaded TV exec who likes kid-show hosts in, let’s say, a grown-up way. Say nite-nite, rhino!

‘Death to Smoochy’ invites you to the twisted behind the scenes world of children’s programming and follows kindhearted do-gooder Sheldon better known as Smoochy the Rhino who is enlisted by KidNet to replace their previous star Rainbow Randolph after he’s disgraced courtesy of an FBI sting for accepting bribes from parents to get children featured on his show. As Smoochy takes over the timeslot and becomes an instant hit, he is soon introduced to the various dark elements of the business including the dangerous charities taking cuts off of ice show proceeds, along with the twisted folks in the production department. Now Smoochy will have to try and stay true to his honest ways if he hopes to make changes, but it won’t be easy with everyone trying to take him down when he refuses to play ball, not to mention avoiding the revenge-set Randolph who holds him personally responsible for his downfall.

‘Death to Smoochy’ is directed by Danny DeVito from a screenplay written by Adam Resnick and DeVito does a great job at the helm of this twisted comedy guiding along the goofy and dark fun with style. The film’s noteworthy cast includes Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito, Jon Stewart, Pam Ferris, Danny Woodburn, Michael Rispoli, Harvey Fierstein and Vincent Schiavelli who each contribute to the fun and laughs throughout, although Williams, Rispoli and Schiavelli frequently tend to steal the majority of scenes they occupy.

‘Death to Smoochy’ is a hilariously twisted, dark comedic gem that takes a disturbing look at the world of kids television and the shady folks, organizations and other elements revolving around it. It’s definitely a film that many either seem to love or hate and while many critics even today are clearly not fond of the film, it’s always been one that I’ve had a soft spot for since first seeing it in theaters back in 2002. The light and almost carefree approach to the dark subject matter works splendidly and comedy legend Robin Williams is delightfully off the rails and allowed to let his vulgar comedic style go wild which offers countless opportunities for pitch black hilarity, all surrounded by the chipper, brightly lit and happy world of children’s television, or at least that’s how it appears in front of the camera.

Danny DeVito does a great job guiding along the humorous tale and once again showcases his talent for working behind the camera as well as in front of it, with even subtle shooting choices standing out such as the scene transitions fading from one object to another seamlessly and then masking the darkness throughout by the bright lights and colors which results in a curious contradiction of sorts that’s difficult not to appreciate. It’s a wildly enjoyable, humorous and twisted good time that only seems to become more enjoyable upon repeat viewings (and I’m definitely well within the double digits at this point) and while some may not appreciate its offbeat style and approach, for anyone that enjoys a twisted comedy with some clever ideas but hasn’t previously had the pleasure of ‘Death to Smoochy’ I would definitely encourage giving it a chance whenever convenient.

‘Death to Smoochy’ makes its long-awaited Blu-ray debut at last courtesy of Shout Select and arrives home on Blu-ray for the first time ever sporting a full high definition video presentation sourced from a new 2K Restoration of the Interpositive that looks quite solid and certainly better than the film ever has at home previously. The nice new high definition video presentation is only further complemented by a fully capable multichannel DTS-HD MA soundtrack and a rewarding offering of bonus content which includes a few brand new interviews exclusive to the release along with numerous previously released extras. It’s a pretty fantastic release altogether that finally brings this criminally underrated dark comedy gem home on Blu-ray at long last and for any fellow fans of this twisted good time that have been awaiting its physical HD debut and are already considering a purchase, this Blu-ray release is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The Shout Select Blu-ray release of ‘Death to Smoochy’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation from a new 2K Restoration of the Interpositive with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks quite good as a whole and offers a clean, sharp and source faithful presentation that may not be down and out flawless, but still looks magnificent and far superior to any previous releases of the film. Detail is nice across the board with character faces and clothing/costumes looking better than ever, while background scenery and outdoor environments are crisp and clean. Colors are rich, bold and vibrant, showcasing this overly colorful world splendidly and all nicely balanced by clean and capable black levels. Overall, this is a very nice high definition video presentation that makes for a rewarding upgrade and should have fans of this comedy thrilled.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack isn’t overly aggressive or hard hitting, but it does its job capably and provides a clean, crisp and occasionally somewhat immersive audio presentation throughout. Dialogue and music is clean and sharp, while it occasionally utilizes all five available channels in order to send some music, crowd chatter and other tidbits throughout the various speakers along the way, while keeping much of the activity centered, yet always ensuring that each audio element and piece of dialogue remains fully audible every step of the way. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that may not blow viewers away but delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Shout Select Blu-ray release of ‘Death to Smoochy’ arrives with a solid helping of bonus content that fans of the film should appreciate, featuring a few brand new interviews exclusive to the release paired with previously released extras. Included is an ‘Audio Commentary with Director/Actor Danny DeVito and Cinematographer Anastas Michos’, in addition to the newly included interviews ‘Magic Moments with Actor Danny Woodburn’ (running approximately 13 minutes in length), ‘Rainbow Stitch with Costume Designer Jane Ruhm’ (running approximately 7 minutes) and ‘Symphony of Chaos with Composer David Newman’ (approximately 7 minutes). We are also treated to some previously released bonus material including a ‘Behind the Scenes Featurette’ (running approximately 8 minutes), a handful of ‘Extended and Deleted Scenes’ from the movie (approximately 6 minutes altogether), plus a collection of ‘Bloopers and Outtakes’ (5 minutes), ‘3 Theatrical Trailers’ (4 minutes combined) and ‘6 Image Galleries’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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‘Death To Smoochy’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray from Shout Select!

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You can purchase ‘Death To Smoochy’ on Blu-ray at Amazon HERE or purchase it directly from Shout HERE!

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