Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Storyline
Hank, stranded on a deserted island and about to kill himself, notices a corpse washed up on the beach. He befriends it, naming it Manny, only to discover that his new friend can talk and has a myriad of supernatural abilities...which may help him get home.
Writers: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, Timothy Eulich, Richard Gross, Marika Casteel, Andy Hull, Aaron Marshall, Antonia Ribero, , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead -
Sarah
Daniel Radcliffe -
Manny
Paul Dano -
Hank
Timothy Eulich -
Preston
Richard Gross -
Hanks Dad
Marika Casteel -
Reporter
Andy Hull -
Camera Man
Aaron Marshall -
Police Officer
Antonia Ribero -
Chrissy
Trivia:
Songs are all a Capella and are written and recorded by Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra and Robert McDowell. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
Usually, fart jokes are associated with bad raunchy comedies in the
likes of Adam Sandler's recent career, or really uncreative family
movies. Insert, 'Swiss Army Man' the Sundance title that's generated
the most vocal reaction amongst festival goers for it's ridiculous, now
infamous, farting dead body played by Daniel Radcliffe. This is only
how the film begins, and let's just say it toots even louder from
there.
Paul Dano plays Hank, a man lost on an island. Right when he's about to
give up on life, he discovers the aforementioned farting body and finds
an unexpected answer to why his life is worth living. He discovers that
many elements of this body can help him survive and find a way back
home, and keeps himself sane (or perhaps insane) by talking to it.
The writer/director duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively
known as "the Daniels", have a reputation for ridiculous and highly
entertaining short films and music videos, and this feature represents
a conglomerate of numerous ideas that sound bad yet somehow all work.
As Hank develops a relationship with the dead body (one that starts out
similar to Wilson in Cast Away), the intriguing absurdity keeps you
engaged for the rest of the film. This is the type of film best seen
with little information beyond the initial premise, as it is full of
mystery boxes waiting to be unraveled. Thanks to the great use of
locations and production design, the world- building is fantastic and
the wackiness becomes downright fun.
On top of being a silly movie that doesn't pretend to take itself
seriously, 'Swiss Army Man' sneaks in themes of societal behavior and
what is considered weird vs. what is normal. It's rare to find a movie
that is so unpredictable in an engaging way, and because the movie
begins with something so ridiculous and only goes deeper from there, it
allows for limitless ideas on what is going to happen next and
continues to be fun to watch. The reason the film may be polarizing is
because of how silly it all is, but going in knowing it will be this
way is all you need to jump in and enjoy the show. There is little more
to say without giving too much away essentially, if you can accept
absurdity and be along for the ride, this movie may just sneak up and
treat you to a great time overall.
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