Review of Swiss Army Man (2016) by Tj W — 09 Jul 2016

In most universes, a farting corpse buddy movie would never work, especially coming from directors whose only claim to fame is the "Turn Down For What" music video. However, this is one of the most uniquely satisfying comedy/bromance/road-trip movies I've ever seen. Though this movie will only "work" for about 5% of movie-goers, if you're into whimsical absurdity built on dark undertones, then this may be the movie for you.

Paul Dano plays a lonely and despairing man who has set out on a boat off the coast of California when he gets caught in a storm and winds up on a tiny island. After several days/weeks of suffering, he's about to hang himself when Daniel Radcliffe's body washes up on shore. Dano (Hank) discovers that the corpse (Manny) has secret farting powers that allow him to ride him like a dolphin towards another, much larger, unpopulated place. From that point on, it becomes a full-fledged adventure touching on topics of loneliness, depression, love, and of course, flatulence and masturbation.

The acting is excellent, especially by Dano, and most of the movie is very funny. It can also be disarmingly sweet at times, though the tonal change in the final quarter of the movie is a bit jarring. It's also got one of the most memorable endings I've seen.