Get ready to take a walk on the wild side—of cinema that is.
SWISS ARMY MAN is the strangest movie experience I’ve had in years.
And while there is hardly any way to properly describe the film I’ll confess that I found it quite endearing in a bizarre sort of way.
Can it be classified as a buddy comedy? Maybe. But only in an absurd way of thinking.
And about the story line? Lets see now…..
The movie begins with Paul Dano about to commit suicide by hanging himself on a far away deserted beach. But just then a body washes up on shore. He’s dead as a door nail Daniel Radcliffe.
But is he really dead?
His ongoing farting adds to the existential audacity; his body eventually spewing water from his mouth in EXORCIST fashion puts another surreal wrinkle into the equation.
So far, so good, I guess.
However the real weirdness here has just begun as Radcliffe’s body comes back to life.
Well, partially, in a ‘Living Dead’ kinda way.
Slowly he takes on human emotions again. And when a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition appears on the ground and our resurrected friend begins sporting a woody, it becomes an ongoing erection gag.
That leads to the art of masturbation and ever so much deeper into this trip of human vulnerability, with Radcliffe spewing profound wisdom along the way.
“Before the internet, every girl was more special.”
Add touches of THE REVENANT and plenty of other hallucinatory moments to the proceedings and one is not surprised when Ratcliffe asks:
“Should I just go back to being dead?”
Taking you to the next fork in the road would lead us into spoiler territory. So I won’t be going there.
Suffice it to say that this comedic inner perspective tale of despair is certainly not for everyone.
Some who may accidentally stumble into the theater based strictly on the cast will find themselves leaving the auditorium with “What the f***” on their minds.
But most would have to agree that this bizarre alter-ego story is ultimately one of both dark humor and especially heart.
One line from the soundtrack pretty well sums it all up:
“Life is short. No one should have to ride the bus by himself.”
SWISS ARMY MAN flashing through various avenues of the Twilight Zone.
My grade? I am awarding a B for not only getting this odd project financed but then following through by actually producing it.
The film opens this holiday weekend in limited engagements.
(Reviewed at Glenwood Arts Theatre)
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 7:40 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. on 98.1FM, KMBZ.
Have not heard of it. Sounds intriguing.
Farts and boners from corpses. Sign me up.
i’m sure rod serling and richard matheson are not terribly amused.
This is why we can’t have nice things.