Death to Smoochy: A Look Back at This Under-Seen Robin Williams Dark Comedy
Why this zany satire starring Robin Williams and Edward Norton went from critical flop to cult classic.
At the time of its release, Death to Smoochy was a critical and financial flop. With a budget of $50 million, it only made $8.3 million at the box office, making it one of the biggest box office bombs of that year. Robin Williams also received a Razzie nomination at the time for his performance as the character Randolph in the film. However, as time passed, a peculiar thing happened, the audience scores of Death to Smoochy started going up. People were rediscovering this movie or watching it for the first time and starting to like it. Today, Death to Smoochy has a solid cult following that many people rank as their favorite Danny DeVito movie. Here is a look at some reasons why this under-seen Robin Williams dark comedy may be worth your time.
TV Satire
Death to Smoochy was released at a time when children television cynicism was at an all-time high. The premise of the movie takes a shot at the popular children’s TV series Barney. A children’s TV star named Randolph Smiley is laid off following a scandal. Smiley is played by the affable Robin Williams, who portrays him as an emotionally disturbed yet wacky person who sets out for revenge. The film is a snapshot of this very fleeting time frame where people turned cynically against children’s television in the mainstream.
You see a side of children’s television that features bribes and a cutthroat environment. It delivers a great satirical look at the industry that, despite its happy exterior, is rife with some of the worst people. One hilarious line from Danny DeVito’s character is that “We are not looking at kids, we are looking at wallets with pigtails.”
Zaney and Dark
The film revels in its ability to take the happy facade of children’s shows and twist it into something dark. In doing so, it also turns up the wackiness meter to 11. This combination of both zaniness and dark themes makes it an exciting combination not often seen. Death to Smoochy is essentially about sociopaths making money and killing their rivals. DeVito does an excellent job at poking fun at something and also poking at it maliciously in equal measure. The film doesn’t pull any punches and isn’t afraid to get as dark as it needs to be to portray the desperation in all of the characters to get ahead of each other.
Robin Williams’ Performance
Robin Williams‘ performance in Death to Smoochy may be one of his most underrated comedic performances. Unlike many of William’s famous performances, he gets to play a villainous character. His character Randolph has fallen from grace and become homeless. He must now use every trick he learned in his time in the children’s entertainment industry to get his revenge. William gets to use his usual comedic zaniness but for evil, employing nazis, guns, and not-so-innocent cookies in schemes that fail every time. The script in the movie is cleverly written and allows Williams to flex his comedic skills to the fullest.
Danny Devito In His True Form
Danny DeVito is perhaps most known today for his portrayal of Frank Reynolds on the hit show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Once this show reached mainstream popularity, people started to look at his older work and see films like Death to Smoochy and other dark comedies in a new light. Devito delivers a dark-hearted comedy that is extraordinarily cynical but also extremely goofy and wacky. As well as directing the film, DeVito also plays the part of the corrupt talent agent Bruke Bennett. His performance is an underrated gem of sinister gaffes and shady business dealings.
In an interview with People, it is revealed that Danny DeVito originally wanted Edward Norton to play Robin Williams’ part in the film. Norton was offered the part of Rudolph, but after reading the script, he wanted to play Smoochy instead. To this day, Danny Devito still calls Norton “Mopes” after the character he played.
Cult Classic
Originally, Death to Smoochy was written off as a critical flop and financial failure, but looking at its reception over time tells a different story. It has since gained a 4.4 rating on Prime Video, and its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes has steadily increased to a positive rating. These trends are reflective of the film reaching classic cult status. With the benefit of time, people can look at the movie with fresh eyes and appreciate its zany cynicism. The film is amusing and pulls out all the stops to take shots at children’s TV. It also has an attractive, darker look to the film, making it genuinely fitting of the title “dark comedy.”
It’s hard to say what led to the reversal of the film’s reputation. Perhaps the dark cynicism was ahead of its time. Edward Norton, Robin Williams, and Danny DeVito also have become beloved figures in the industry, with many iconic roles since the film came out.
