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Death To Smoochy (2002)
This episode centers upon a film about the seedy underbelly of children's entertainment. A scummy kid's TV host (Robin Williams) loses his gig after getting caught up in a bribery scandal. His replacement (Edward Norton) is a wholesome, guileless entertainer who has to contend with the sabotage attempts made by his predecessor, but his true test comes when his well-defined ethical code is tested by the widespread corruption and late stage capitalistic excesses of the modern media landscape. Catherine Keener, Harvey Fierstein, Jon Stewart, Pam Ferris, Michael Rispoli, Vincent Schiavelli, and Danny Woodburn give supporting performances.
Death To Smoochy was a critical and commercial bellyflop upon its 2002 release, but a teenage Ryan caught it on home video and fell in love with the movie. He subjected his siblings and a good chunk of his friend circle to the feature and it took with them as well. Because of this, Ryan was convinced that, at some point, Death To Smoochy would be reappraised and ultimately become a cult favorite a la Office Space or Clue. That never really happened, resulting in Ryan's social circle containing yet another assortment of pop culture reference jokes that nobody else had any recognition of.
So yes, the stakes are low and they're getting even lower as Ryan and Rachel discuss this mostly-forgotten dark comedy by director Danny DeVito (we're not expecting too many clicks for this one). Thematic undercurrents under discussion include the principles of stoicism, generational divides, the rampant commercialism in children's media, and several questions about how this movie has never really been able to connect with a wide audience.
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By Ryan Valentine
5
44 ratings
This episode centers upon a film about the seedy underbelly of children's entertainment. A scummy kid's TV host (Robin Williams) loses his gig after getting caught up in a bribery scandal. His replacement (Edward Norton) is a wholesome, guileless entertainer who has to contend with the sabotage attempts made by his predecessor, but his true test comes when his well-defined ethical code is tested by the widespread corruption and late stage capitalistic excesses of the modern media landscape. Catherine Keener, Harvey Fierstein, Jon Stewart, Pam Ferris, Michael Rispoli, Vincent Schiavelli, and Danny Woodburn give supporting performances.
Death To Smoochy was a critical and commercial bellyflop upon its 2002 release, but a teenage Ryan caught it on home video and fell in love with the movie. He subjected his siblings and a good chunk of his friend circle to the feature and it took with them as well. Because of this, Ryan was convinced that, at some point, Death To Smoochy would be reappraised and ultimately become a cult favorite a la Office Space or Clue. That never really happened, resulting in Ryan's social circle containing yet another assortment of pop culture reference jokes that nobody else had any recognition of.
So yes, the stakes are low and they're getting even lower as Ryan and Rachel discuss this mostly-forgotten dark comedy by director Danny DeVito (we're not expecting too many clicks for this one). Thematic undercurrents under discussion include the principles of stoicism, generational divides, the rampant commercialism in children's media, and several questions about how this movie has never really been able to connect with a wide audience.