MOVIE REVIEW: Swiss Army Man

Swiss Army Man (2016)

Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Directed By: Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

One of the many great aspects of film and storytelling in general is the ability to be able to tell a simple story through extraordinary means. We often see films that center on a simple idea but tell it in a way we aren't used to, the blending of familiar and unfamiliar is a great way to show an audience something from a new angle and get them to appreciate it in a whole new way. The new film from writer/directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert titled Swiss Army Man aims to do just that, appropriately dubbed the "farting corpse" movie this flick uses creative fantastical elements to remind us of what it means to really be human. 

Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a remote island and with no help in sight he decides to take the coward's way out and hang himself. That is until a mysterious (and gassy) body (Daniel Radcliffe) washes onto shore and gives him one last glimmer of hope. Though the man is dead Hank quickly discovers that this corpse has more value than one would assume when it's farts allow him to ride the corpse like a jet ski across the water. This is just the first of many special abilities hank finds his new friend has but when this friend starts to speak one day and begins asking the why and how of human life Hank finds a new meaning for his own existence, bringing this man back to life completely. 

It is difficult to put the plot of this film down in words as there is so much going on that we have never really seen before. These filmmakers, who as a collective call themselves "Daniels", have used one of the wackiest stories I've seen in a long time to remind us all of what it actually is to be human. Most of this comes from the brutal honesty of Radcliffe's character, since he has no memory of life before he died he has no filter and no idea of what is "ok" for him to say or do. Not only does this lead to some wonderfully funny moments but it also allows the film to send you a message point blank. 

The movie lays its cards on the table in the opening scene and if you aren't dialed in immediately you will be lost for the entire film. If you not only survive, but thoroughly enjoy the first montage of corpse farting (as I did) then you are in for what I believe to be one of the best films of this year. Using a totally original idea and blending it with absurd comedy they have created a cinematic experience that both hits every mark we've come to expect from a film like this while also doing it all in a way that we have never seen before. 

Aside from the wild originality of the film the main draw to see this is the acting put on display. With the majority of the film centering around just two characters, and with one of them being a dead corpse, this movie had to have great performances to carry itself through ninety minutes. Paul Dano gets the bulk of the work as Hank, the mysteriously depressed guy who wants to kill himself. His performance is wonderful as is always the case with him, Dano is easily one of the most underused and underappreciated actors around. 

As amazing as Dano is though it was Radcliffe's performance as the "farting corpse" that really surprised me here. I honestly wasn't expecting much from the part but by the time the credits rolled I had more love for him than almost any other character in film this year. Having to act with literal dead eyes for an entire movie couldn't have been an easy task and he totally nails it. I love all these oddball parts he has been taking since finishing the Potter movies, he's quickly building a rather unique resume.

The final thread in making the movie a total knockout for me was the music we hear throughout most of the film. Done by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, the music does a perfect job of elevating the highs and deepening the lows of the story in wonderfully creative ways. The music actually blends into the scene more than a few times with Dano and Radcliffe singing along with the joyous tunes. Just like the rest of the movie, the music is totally unique to the experience and unlike anything we have heard this year. 

Swiss Army Man is most certainly a divisive film, when you open on a dead body uncontrollably farting you are sure to lose some viewers in the first five minutes. That being said, even if you are someone who found the quirkiness of the film to be a drawback, once you reach the final scene of the movie and have seen where it all led I think most people will have a sizeable amount of appreciation for what this film aimed to do. This is easily the most heartfelt and honest movie about the human condition I have seen in recent memory and it's done in the most fantastical of ways. If you are interested in seeing something that's easily relatable yet totally insane don't hesitate to catch this one in theaters. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!