Review of Swiss Army Man (2016) by Spangle — 07 Nov 2016

Sorry, but I hated this one. Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, Swiss Army Man tells the story of a man, Hank (Paul Dano), who is lost on an island and set to kill himself. However, right before doing the deed, he sees the dead body of Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). Through talking to Manny, Hank explores his loneliness and depression, as well as his own self-esteem and self-image. When talking about this and how it is okay to be unique, Swiss Army Man ultimately winds up just being creepy and weird. It had a chance to be profound about a broken man being saved, but instead opts to just shock audiences with a farting corpse.

There are a few positives in Swiss Army Man. Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe are both spectacular. Plus, whenever it remains focused on examining what makes Hank depressed and run away to this island (well, not really an island), the film is largely quite successful. Typical, but moving and a tremendous character study. Additionally, the music in the film is great with a truly terrific score that elevates otherwise mundane moments.

Yet, that is about all that counts in the positive column for Swiss Army Man, a film that tries to turn farting into a cause. Relying on both fart and penis jokes to steer the film home, it is also simply an incredibly dumb movie. Hank goes to kill himself, but as it is revealed, he was merely in the woods behind a neighborhood that happens to go by an ocean. Even worse, when it is revealed that this Sarah Johnson (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in his phone is just some random girl who he stalks and has a picture of in his phone, it spoils the film even more. Until that point, I could write it off as an irreverent and weird film. But at this point, it was a truly creepy film. It wants us to feel sorry for this guy who creeps on this girl so much that he knows exactly where she lives and turns up in her backyard? No way. No thank you.

Plus, it even serves to spoil the rest of the film. While it was far too weird for me throughout, the scenes of Hank describing love to Manny were quite funny and filled with enthusiastic moments. Yet, since they use Sarah for much of this, it loses any of its luster. When they were joking around and just using a made up name for some swimsuit model, it was whatever. Once they started using a real person that Hank stalks, this moment lost all of its power and wound up just revealing the disturbing and truly chilling level of his obsession with this girl.

However, had this not even happened, Swiss Army Man had lost me. A little bit of weird and quirkiness is fine by me. Yet, this film dials it up to 11 with the weird and by the fourth time Hank used Manny's gas for some purpose, I knew this was not my kind of film. In defense of this film, everyone said this was not simply a film about a farting corpse like some made it out to be. Having seen the film now, they are right. It is a film about a creepy stalker who uses some corpses gas to not kill himself. Not exactly a winning combination.

Swiss Army Man can brush shoulders with profundity and comedy, but winds up ruining it with over-the-top weirdness and creepiness. Yes, it is okay to be weird. Yes, it is okay to be weird. However, I do not have to accept a film that begs me to like a stalker with an obsession for some girl he has never met. A truly ugly and thoroughly juvenile film, honestly.