Film review: 'Swiss Army Man' is uncompromisingly weird, surprisingly moving
For better or for worse, there's simply nothing out there quite like "Swiss Army Man" (opening in theaters nationwide July 1). This bizarre mash-up of "Cast Away" and "Weekend at Bernies" is thoroughly bizarre, wholly original & unexpectedly poignant.
In short: Hank (Paul Dano), a lonely man stranded on a deserted island, is on the verge of suicide when a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on the shore. What begins as a one-sided conversation becomes a friendship between a man lost at sea and a flatulent dead guy. (Watch the trailer)
The film opens with a suicide attempt and the reveal of a contorted corpse washed ashore - and the dead body will not stop farting. This dark comedy finds black humor in Hank's bungled attempt to hang himself, and punctuates it with one long fart joke. And the absurdity doesn't end there - Hank soon discovers the dead guy's farts are so powerful that he can ride the corpse like a jet ski. Anyone who can embrace the weirdness of the opening scene will "get" this film - everyone else will simply (and rightfully) decide "Swiss Army Man" probably just isn't for them. And they wouldn't be the first to reject this weird movie -- this film notoriously had audience members walkout of its screenings at Sundance earlier this year.
In this year of the disappointing/hollow movie sequel (ie, "Batman v Superman," "Independence Day: Resurgence" "Alice in Wonderland 2," etc), "Swiss Army Man" is exactly the type of originality that cinema desperately needs. For some offbeat reason - the dead guy, against all logic, doesn't just begin to talk with Hank - the two forge a deep friendship. And Hank find new uses for the dead guy he nicknames "Manny," including (but not limited to) using Manny as a canteen, flamethrower and grapple gun. Yes, this is a particularly weird film, but its oddest and most random moments are also the ones that set it apart from every other movie in the best way possible.
Beneath all the odd quirk of Manny's many uses, this is a film with a surprising bit of existential heart to it. The film's sheer absurdity disarms from its unexpected, near-poetic appreciation for the little routines of daily life. It finds an adulterated joy in the mundane, such as riding the bus. As Manny asks more questions about what it's like to be alive, Hank is forced to reflect on the things he took for granted and the chances he never took. This film is at its most heartfelt when its formerly hopeless castaway and his dead companion contemplate what it means to find happiness in living.
While "Swiss Army Man" flirts with some existentially profound sentiments, it sadly doesn't fully commit to its emotional core. The film is uncompromisingly weird from start to finish - but it does not sustain or fully pay off its large-hearted sentiments. Every bit of this movie's unquestionable oddness could have been completely justified if only "Swiss Army Man" had remained as committed to its emotional core as it does to its outright weirdness.
The first act establishes the comically weird premise and the second act allows Hank and Manny to contemplate living - but the wheels come off in a terribly clunky third act. Hank and Manny spend 99 percent of the movie just trying to find anyone else on the planet who can help them - the fact that they conveniently end up exactly where they ultimately arrive is troubling in its laziness. The more eccentric aspects of "Swiss Army Man" can be forgiven (if not completely embraced) - but its flat and forced ending cannot be so easily overlooked.
Final verdict: "Swiss Army Man" earns points for originality and for touching upon elegant and simple truths -- but suffers deductions for a conclusion that feels more conventional and lazy than inspired. But true to its peculiar premise to the end, the film's last line ("What the f*ck!?") sum up this film better than any logline ever could. "Swiss Army Man" is not for everyone and it will be one of the year's more polarizing films.
Score: 3/5
"Swiss Army Man" opens in theaters nationwide July 1. This film is rated R for language and sexual material and has a running time of 95 minutes.
