Something that I think most regular filmgoers notice is that people, that watch films casually, will often bring
up how Hollywood is all remakes and superhero movies. They often complain that
there isn’t any originality left in Hollywood, and that cinema is dying because
of it. Why? Because people are fucking stupid. The problem isn’t that there
isn’t original content; the problem is that no one bothers seeing or seeking it
out. The Nice Guys made a total of $36 million dollars. Hell or High Water has
made $24 million. Those are two of the best movies this year. And to follow in
line with excellent original films not making much, I decided to watch Swiss
Army Man last night.
Hank (Paul Dano) is ready to die. As he
makes peace with the decisions in his life, ready to hang himself near the
shore, when suddenly he spots a body laying on the beach. Hank runs over,
trying to find out if the beached human is dead or alive, when the body begins
to fart. Soon enough, we learn maybe it’s not as totally dead as we once
thought. It is definitely not alive, but not quite dead, despite not
remembering anything about its life before now. That’s how we are introduced to
Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). Hank and Manny form a kinship, as Hank tries to help
Manny remember who he is, which in turn helps Hank learn more about himself,
all while they have a cellphone with no service, that has a picture of a
mystery woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) on it. Together, Hank and Manny search
for a way to get each other back home.
So this movie is one of the weirdest movies
I’ve seen in some time. And that is very much a compliment of the highest
order. Swiss Army Man, the feature film debut from Dan Kwan and Daniel
Scheinert, is a film that is bursting at the seams with originality and flavor.
The Daniels, as the trailer labels them, also wrote the film, which gives Manny
and Hank two clear voices, allowing us to see the world the film portrays from
both views. We get to see the world from the jaded
perspective of Hank, who is as much a lost, directionless soul as the rest of
us. And we also get to see it from the perspective of Manny, who is learning as
he goes. This is aided by the spectacular visuals from Larkin Seiple, who gives
the film a uniquely spectacular feel, and the music from Andy Hull and Robert
McDowell, which has you humming alone as you enjoy the ride.
However, this film belongs to the two
leads. While an actress the caliber of Mary Elizabeth Winstead has a very
minor, but crucial part, the film hinges on the chemistry of Daniel Radcliffe
and Paul Dano. Both men are hilarious, while being able to tap into the
emotional weight that continuously pushes the film forward. Dano plays Hank as
a man, who has never truly grasped any opportunity presented to him in his
life, seemingly finding something wrong with every aspect of his life. Dano has
carved out a nice career for himself, being a reliable every man in smaller
films, while being able to play solid supporting roles in bigger films, such as
There Will Be Blood.
While Radcliffe plays Manny as one of the
most lovable corpses in film history, always wanting to ask questions, never
able to control his thoughts, and getting erect uncontrollably. It’s been nice
to see Radcliffe, who is probably the most popular child actor ever, transition
into solid adult acting roles with this, Imperium and Kill Your Darlings. He’s
shown a range of ability that many might not have predicted from his
performances as Harry Potter.
Ultimately, I ended up loving Swiss Army
Man. It’s hilarious, heartfelt and poignant which is weird considering one of
its leads is a farting corpse. But it just works for me. Truthfully, I may be
hyping it up too much, but I implore people to seek this film out.
Grade: A
