Review: Swiss Army Man

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Maybe we're all pieces of shit.

Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on an island somewhere in the north pacific. He's been there for a while, and just as he's about to hang himself, a farting corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore. Within minutes, Hank is riding this thing through the water like a jet ski in hopes that he will find civilization again.

This corpse eventually starts to speak to Hank, his name is Manny, and Hank finds himself explaining the meaning of life to him. Manny isn't just dead weight for Hank to carry around for company either. Aside from fart skiing, he turns into a water faucet for Hank to drink, his boner works as a compass, and he is eventually used to hunt small animals to. Manny is a Godsend, but the more he tries to remember about life, the harder it is for Hank to hit him with reality.

If you couldn't tell by my brief plot synopsis, this movie is fucking weird. The Lobster may have just been unseated in the bizarre movie of 2016 category. What it does do better is keep a coherent story. Swiss Army Man, under all those fart jokes is actually a very sweet commentary on finding love. 

Paul Dano as always is spectacular. He has great chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe. The characters are so different. Manny's child like view on life sets him up for most of the laughs, but it's Dano who has to carry the emotional weight. (And the sound track, most of it is mixes of him singing or humming tunes.) The set design is brilliant. Being lost in a forest should be very minimalistic, but they build some amazing props.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable quote: "If you don't know Jurassic Park, you don't know shit." - Hank (Paul Dano)

Comments

  1. Zach MurphyJuly 3, 2016 at 6:40 AM

    Great review. I love seeing all the different takes on a movie this weird.

    - Zach

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2016 at 9:13 AM

      Thank you! It was a lot better than I expected.

      Delete
  2. DellJuly 3, 2016 at 6:51 AM

    Somehow I haven't heard of this until yesterday when I showed up at a theater to see something else and walked by a poster for this. I had no clue what it is. After reading this I'm very curious, because it sounds very odd, to say the least. Great review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2016 at 9:14 AM

      I think you'd appreciate this as a lover of camp. It that the film itself is campy, it's just different like that.

      Delete
  3. thevoid99July 3, 2016 at 3:11 PM

    I want to see this. I just like the idea of Daniel Radcliffe playing a dead, farting corpse. That to me is $$$$$$$$.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Big Screen Small WordsJuly 3, 2016 at 10:26 PM

    Great review! I'm looking forward to watching this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. m.brownJuly 4, 2016 at 5:22 PM

    I don't even know what the f--k this is, but you had me at boner compass.

    Where can I make this mine? (The movie...not the compass)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 5, 2016 at 8:19 AM

      It's in theaters now! I think you'll love it. It's very out there.

      Delete
    2. m.brownJuly 5, 2016 at 12:09 PM

      We only have one lame, 13 seat mainstream theater. The one that cools shit, is like...thirty miles away. Aw.

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamJuly 6, 2016 at 11:20 AM

      Worth it, get a sitter. lol

      Delete
  6. RuthJuly 5, 2016 at 4:09 PM

    I might give this a rent because the idea is just so bonkers it'd have to be seen! Did you see Free Fire trailer in front of this? I almost went to see this just to see that trailer, ahah. That's how much I love Sam Riley!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 6, 2016 at 11:19 AM

      I don't think I saw Free Fire. The only one I remember was a trailer for American Honey.

      Delete
  7. CourtneyJuly 7, 2016 at 10:46 AM

    I definitely liked this movie's different approach; it worked. What I didn't like was the ending...I'm not sure what I wanted, but it just kind of felt deflated by the end :\

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 7, 2016 at 11:05 AM

      I think the ending worked really well. After all of that, I wasn't expecting a happy one.

      Delete
  8. KatyJuly 8, 2016 at 11:54 PM

    Cool review! The trailer looked so freaking wild. I'll be trying to check this out as soon as I can.

    ReplyDelete

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