Synopsis
Death to Smoochy (2002) is Danny DeVito's pitch-black comedy, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Robin Williams plays Rainbow Randolph, the costumed king of kids' TV who gets caught taking a bribe on camera and is thrown off the air overnight.
The network replaces him with Sheldon Mopes, a squeaky-clean do-gooder who performs as a chubby fuchsia rhinoceros named Smoochy. Edward Norton plays him as a true believer in wholesome children's programming, oblivious to the snake pit he's walked into. The ratings soar, a jaded network exec (Catherine Keener) falls for him, and the disgraced Randolph — now drunk and unhinged with resentment — sets out to destroy the rhino. Around them swirl a sleazy agent (DeVito himself), a crooked charity, and the Irish mob. Smoochy has no idea how many people want him dead.
It's a vicious satire of the children's TV racket, where kickbacks and extortion hide behind plush suits. Williams plays sharply against type here: bitter, venomous, genuinely scary. The film flopped on release and split critics, then slowly built a cult following as one of DeVito's most underrated swings. Best for anyone who likes their comedy mean and sentiment-free. Stream Death to Smoochy (2002) online on iFILM.
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