July 21st is Robin Williams birthday, so in the memory of his amazing personality and vast career, I wanted to dedicate some of my blog to him. I have chosen four of his works to highlight as things that I watch over and over again, so I'm going to start with this film. Death to Smoochy is a hilarious dark comedy that pokes fun at the children's television shows. Robin Williams plays a children's television star named Rainbow Randolph who's gone corrupt and gets caught accepting bribes, forcing the network to fire him. The network wants a clean-cut replacement, so they hire Ed Norton's character. Smoochy is a rhino who is found singing encouraging songs to recovering addicts in a rehabilitation center. The film follows Smoochy's rise to fame and Rainbow Randolph's descent into madness. Randolph blames Smoochy for his loss of his career and determines that the rhino must die. The problem with Randolph's plan is that Smoochy has made friends with the Irish mob and they are willing to protect him. This film uses satire to dig at the ugly side of the television industry, exposing the juxtaposition of the innocence of children and the corruption of the people who decide what to show those children. It's done in such an entertaining way that you could almost miss the underlying messaging of the film.
It is truly a dark comedy because there's a lot of darker humor laced through the film. Rainbow Randolph slowly losing his sanity and descending into depression and homicidal rage is shown in ways that you can't help but laugh at. Dark and sinister organizers of children's charities, the Irish mob taking down a foe with such casual remarks and even treating addicts as people who deserve love, which should be standard treatment, is seen as something unusual and a novelty. This movie may seem to be just a simple comedy movie, but it's laced with such wit and intelligence that you are unwittingly learning about the darker side of human society. I can't say enough things about how much I love this film and I can't wait to watch it again. I highly recommend you join me, if you haven't seen it before. You won't regret it.
I forgot how much I loved this movie! It's been so many years since I last saw this film that I forget how young Ed Norton was when he did this film in 2002. His character is so full of innocent excitement that it's contagious! The songs they created for Smoochy to sing were funny, but perfectly suited to teach kids something important. "My Stepdad's Not Mean, He's Just Adjusting" is one of my favorite ones because it gives the kids the knowledge to deal with a difficult topic. Sheldon is honest and open which is an apparent rare quality in this world of children's television. He was also ahead of the curve when it came to healthy, natural diets, encouraging others to avoid gluten, eat more plant based foods and reduce unhealthy additives, like salts. Those things have really grown to a more common level in the past decade, but the previous decade they were much more uncommon.
Another thing that this movie showed that was ahead of it's time was "cancel culture." Rainbow Randolph is part of a controversy and he gets completely dropped by every company out there that don't want to get near him with a ten foot pole. He can't get hired to do any shows, he loses all of his sponsors and even marketing plummets. It's kind of amazing how they were able to see that this was the direction that the world was heading and be able to so perfectly display it in the most accurate way. Everyone dropped him so fast that he must have had whiplash, which is exactly what happens today if anyone is even accused of any kind of infraction, whether truthful or not, that person is cast out like a leper from the populace. It's such a mob mentality in ways, yet if someone was actually guilty of the crime they're accused of, I would be one of the people just turning away from engaging in what they were involved in.
I feel that there are people who don't deserve a second chance after they've repeatedly continued bad behavior over a long period of time, like years or decades, but I also believe people are worthy of redemption, as well. Rainbow Randolph is a perfect example of this in this film. He falls off his high seat above society to find himself at the lowest low. His psyche is cracking because he just can't seem to see that he was at fault for anything that went wrong in his life. He blames Smoochy for replacing him, not realizing that if he wouldn't have engaged in corrupt behavior, then he wouldn't have left his space open for someone else to take over. Throughout the film, he's devising ways to remove Smoochy from the spot Randolph saw as rightfully his. He tries to get him cancelled, like he was, by putting him in a situation where he would be viewed as the pariah that Randolph was labelled as. Succeeded, too, but it didn't last since he started rambling about Sheldon to one of the executive producers when trying to convince them he was ready to take the time slot back. She was able to set the situation right and bring him back in.
At this point, it's like a switch has been flipped in his psyche and he starts becoming more self destructive. They don't show him using drugs or alcohol at all, so that is one positive thing about the way they portray depression and mania. Sometimes the madness is enough to wreck their world and substances are not the only failsafe that people have. Randolph falls to an extreme level of depression and he tries to set himself on fire in the middle of Times Square. There's a large crowd around him and no one is trying to intervene or stop him. There's a sad truth in the fact that people would stand by and watch another human being harm themselves for the spectacle they see it as. Then this small, adorable child comes up and gives him hope. Blows out the match and gives him a moment of hope and peace. The moment is quickly ruined with the arrival of Smoochy across the street, leaving Randolph all alone again. It's easy to laugh at someone's pain when put in a comedic light, but when you look at the underlying issues of this character, you see a person that needs serious help and Randolph is definitely that person. It makes me wonder if this is one of the reasons that Robin Williams took this role. He gets to be his crazy, kooky, random self while at the same time showing a deeper side to the character.
Once Randolph sinks to a new level of bottom, he goes to confront Sheldon and take him down. What he never expects from his self-imposed mortal enemy is compassion. Sheldon understands that Randolph is suffering and empathizes with him. People make mistakes all the time, that's part of being human. But what matters most is the fact that we have the chance to redeem ourselves, right the wrongs we've committed, and move forward to a new chapter in life. People deserve the chance for redemption. This movie is great at showing that. It also shows the exact opposite of that when it comes to the Irish Mob. They hold some grudges and will not let certain slights to go unpunished. You learn a very valuable lesson in this movie: Don't mess with the Irish mob! They have no qualms about protecting their own and ensuring that a solid message gets across to anyone else thinking of acting against them. Aside from that, this movie has a lot of light-hearted fun mixed in with the darker side of comedy. Funny slapstick moments and simple gags lighten what could be a dark and heavy movie without it. The many levels of thoughtfulness behind this story are what draw me back time and time again.
If you haven't had a chance to watch this, I highly recommend you do so. It's funny, thoughtful, witty and entertaining. There's great actors and amazing performances. One of Robin Williams' best performances. Check it out! Stay tuned for more Robin Williams movies!
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