I can’t help liking a movie in which the hero delivers a philosophical, reflective speech while being slowly dragged away by a hungry bear. Take that, Leonardo DiCaprio.
This happens in “Swiss Army Man,” and it’s typical of the way the film thinks up scenes of the “well, I never saw that in a movie before” variety.
Here’s the set-up, for those who can stomach it. A desert-island castaway, Hank (Paul Dano, late of “Love &Mercy”), is about to end his existence when he spots another man washed up on shore.
Sadly, the man is dead. And yet, still useful. For one thing, the gas that has accumulated inside his body can be utilized to provide propulsion. Sort of like a jet-ski.
Daniel Radcliffe plays the flatulent corpse, in a career move designed to end his typecasting as Harry Potter. Yeah, this should do it.
Dubbed Manny, the corpse gives Hank someone to talk to. Actually, at a certain point, Manny talks back, asking questions and learning about the ways of the world (like the Frankenstein monster, he’s a blank slate and must be taught everything anew).
There’s not much doubt Hank is hallucinating — even Hank admits this — but the friendship between the bros creates an unexpectedly winsome situation. Hank is a father to Manny, and maybe learns how to connect with other human beings.
There’s a sweetness here that isn’t dulled by the relentless interest in bodily functions. If you thought the fart jokes were finished with that opening sequence, think again; what the ring was in “The Lord of the Rings,” flatulence is to this movie.
Ninety-five percent of the movie is the committed work of Dano and Radcliffe (Mary Elizabeth Winstead appears as a kind of dream girl). Radcliffe sounds a little like Pacino in “Scarface,” and he gives about as witty a performance as you can imagine for a character who is dead.
“Swiss Army Man” is the creation of writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who unfortunately bill themselves as “Daniels.” They made the zany music video “Turn Down for What” and they clearly have no shortage of ideas.
This movie is, frequently, a little too pleased with itself, as though proud of being an instant cult picture. It reportedly inspired a lot of walk-outs at the Sundance Film Festival, and will undoubtedly inspire more.
But it has this on its side: You’ve never seen anything else quite like it. How many times do we get to say that?
“Swiss Army Man” (3 stars)
A castaway (Paul Dano) finds agreeable company in the flatulent corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) that washes up one day. This odd but sweet movie has no shortage of zany ideas, an instant cult thing designed to divide audiences.
Rating: R, for language, subject matter
Showing: Alderwood Mall, Pacific Place, Sundance Cinemas, Thornton Place Stadium
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