8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 1, 2002 ARTS 0 'Smoochy' lacks satirical edge, allows star Williams to shine 0 By Andy Taylor-Fabe Daily Film Editor "Death to Smoochy," a dark, satirical tale of the corruption in kids' programming, should have been made a few years ago at the height of the anti-Barney campaign, when you couldn't go any- where without seeing signs or cartoons a calling for the death and preferably vio- lent dismemberment of everyone's least favorite big purple dinosaur. Unfortu- nately, "Smoochy," which could have DEA been the ultimate middle finger to cos- SMc tumed kids' show hosts, beats us to death with a few repeated jokes. Despite bril- At Shoi liant performances by Edward Norton Qua and Robin Williams, who is finally (and hopefully permanently) breaking free of Warn his smarmy, family-friendly roles, "Smoochy" doesn't deliver. Williams plays Rainbow Randolph (imagine Cap- tain Kangaroo on mescaline), the colorful and ener- getic star of the most popular kids show on TV He also happens to be a foul-mouthed drunk who takes bribes from kids on hi, A* TH TO )OCHY wcase and lity 16 ner Bros. smack" to a over-enthusiastic parents who want their s show. After Randolph is busted by the government and fired from the show for his various crimes and overall corrup- tion, the network is desperate to find a replacement - someone squeaky clean. Executives Frank Stokes (Jon Stewart) and Nora Wells (Catherine Keener, "Being John Malkovich") decide on Sheldon Mopes a.k.a. Smoochy (Edward Norton), a big purple rhino who sings about healthy food and wholesome fami- ly life. At this point, however, Smoochy's major gig is a Coney Island methadone clinic, where he sings about "kicking the tune of "She'll be comin' 'round the mountain." Stokes and Wells give Sheldon his big break, and Smoochy is an instant success. With millions of ador- ing fans and a chance to voice his support of soy and friendship, Sheldon is on top of the world. Unfortu- nately, he has two major problems. Rainbow Ran- dolph, now homeless and bitter, is nursing a major grudge against the carpet-bagging rhino. His thirst for revenge leads him to try to undermine Smoochy in any way he can, including accusations of Nazism and sabotaging the show's "cookie time" with treats in the shape of certain parts of the male anatomy. To make things worse, Merv Green (Harvey Fier- stein), the head of the Parade of Hope foundation and corrupt businessman, owned a piece of Randolph during his time as host, and he has every intention of getting a taste of Smoochy's financial success. He sends an agent named Burke (Danny Devito) to gain Sheldon's trust so they can bring him over to the dark side of crappy merchandise and lucrative ice shows. Director Danny DeVito and writer Adam Resnick ("Cabin Boy," "The Larry Sanders Show") try to fill the movie with biting satire of kids' programming and commercialization in general, but with a few exceptions, it has no teeth, and the uneven script pro- ceeds to gum you to death with self-conscious dia- logue and one bizarre scene after another. Edward Norton and a bunch of kids, before the penis-cookie incident. "Death to Smoochy" is dark, but it isn't as dark as it should be. Despite the presence of violence, adult themes and language that would make a sailor blush, the movie never commits to one course: Gritty'or glossy, sarcastic or sappy? Every time it seems like it could be getting somewhere with its message or its characters, it veers off, concentrating on Sheldon's Irish mob friends or Sheldon's ridiculous relationship with Nora. Williams is the bright point of the film. Much in the same way that a formerly annoying child star can redefine himself by playing a drug addict on a cop show, Williams is able to recapture his energy and show his darker side, casting aside his saccharine irony-free personas of "Patch Adams" and "Bicenten- nial Man." As strange as this may sound, you can feel your spirits rising and your faith in Williams returning with every growl and utterance of the f-word or "cock and balls." Unfortunately, Williams doesn't always play the disturbed Randolph as a believable character. At times, he seems to be doing one of his famous impressions, mimicking the twisted, angry man instead of actually being him. Norton is hilarious as the innocent Sheldon, whose golly-gee-whiz personality meshes perfectly with Norton's ability to deadpan. He compares Captain Kangaroo to Jesus without giving us any sense that he gets the joke, adding, "Both of them worked so hard. Especially Jesus." His songs that he sings to the kids, which he co-wrote, are hilarious and sometimes slightly disturbing, e.g. "My Stepdad's not mean; he's just adjusting." Unfortunately, the nuggets of wisdom and moments of comic genius are overshadowed by an overzealous attempt to cram as much satire into the film as possi- ble, which leaves you wondering what the film is really poking fun at. p. 0 ,court y 01f Va Nope, still looks like the guy from "Cadillac Man." I Two Towers' teaser at tail-end of Fellowship 'Donnie Darko' finds second life on impressive DVD release By Luke Smith Daily Arts Editor In the aftermath of last week's 74th Annual Academy awards, Peter Jackson has slipped something extra into his Oscar winning "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Starting last weekend, moviegoers were given another incentive to see the epic. A four-minute teaser of the forthcoming "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" was added in as the last reel of the film before the final credits. The added reel is a mouth-water- ing treat of what is to come this December when "The Two Towers" hits theaters. This extra reel begins spinning immediately after the final shot showing Frodo Baggins d Sam- wise Gamgee descending the rocky cliffs into Mordor. After a fade-to, black, the tease begins. Without spoiling the contents of the teaser, viewers will be treated to myriad shots from the second film in Jack- son's trilogy. The teaser also serves to introduce viewers to new charac- By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor "Donnie Darko" was released in October of last year without an ounce of publicity promoting the 3=famE4t debuted in a truly limited release on only 58 screens around the country. While the film was well received by critics, it was not enough to bring people into the- aters and the film earned a meager Aragom, contemplating his coolness. ters altogether. If the teaser is any indication, "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" will be as good, if not better than "The Fellowship of the Ring." F3 D l n no n War La =l l - arwac4A i. +as-v 0 I * warK r i m e mu -mimrr w Ai )* El "m uVi--a- . l - v --a m -e r *SW -0 i id111 1 1iA%% L %AA \A 11111 L1