Review of Death to Smoochy (2002) by Intuciic . — 16 Apr 2013

It's also an impressive achievement for DeVito, who turns Adam Resnick's hyperbolically cynical screenplay into a kinetic cartoon full of brain-spinning images and eye-jolting colors. It's not a particularly original film - directors as different as Charlie Chaplin, Mel Brooks, and Terry Gilliam have paved the way for it - but its imagination rarely flags, and its energy never does. Williams' performance alone would put "Death to Smoochy" in the plus column, but the movie also benefits from the amiable silliness of Edward Norton in the title role and from Danny DeVito's high-velocity direction. The cynicism is colossal, the casting superb: Norton may be the only actor alive who could pull off a character like Sherman, without making him either an idiot or a parody. In Death to Smoochy, we don't get Williams' usual tear and a smile, just sneers and bile, and the spectacle is nothing short of refreshing. Stay away if you treasure the beguiling image Williams has cultivated for the past two decades. And whatever you do, don't bring the kids!

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).