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Death to Smoochy
Tells the story of Rainbow Randolph, the corrupt, costumed star of a popular children's TV show, who is fired over a bribery scandal and replaced by squeaky-clean Smoochy, a puffy fuchsia rhinoceros. As Smoochy catapults to fame - scoring hit ratings and the affections of a network executive - Randolph makes the unsuspecting rhino the target of his numerous outrageous attempts to exact revenge and reclaim his status as America's sweetheart.
2002 · Directed by Danny DeVito · 109 min · Comedy · Crime · Drama · Thriller · Screenplay in the scene database · 14 frames
Tagline
Get ready for an unexpected hit.
Plot
"Rainbow" Randolph Smiley hosts a popular children's television show on the fictional children's TV network KidNet called The Rainbow Randolph Show, with his friendly onscreen persona masking his alcoholism, emotional instability, and criminal behavior. His career ends after he is arrested by the FBI at Patsy's Warehouse for accepting bribes; his show is cancelled, and he is evicted from KidNet's corporate penthouse, leaving him homeless and destitute. Ordered by the network's chair to find a replacement with a clean public image, executive Marion Stokes selects the naive Sheldon Mopes and his character Smoochy the Rhino. Sheldon is sincere, dedicated to providing quality children's entertainment with his show Smoochy's Magic Jungle while being completely opposed to the concept of merchandising, which puts him at odds with his new producer Nora Wells, KidNet's vice president of development.
The immediate popularity of Smoochy's Magic Jungle causes Randolph to fixate his anger and vengeance on Sheldon. After Stokes declines to help him regain his job, Randolph hatches several unsuccessful attempts to have Sheldon removed. Finally hitting rock bottom, Randolph turns to his former partner, Angelo Pike, for help. Angelo consents and allows him to stay at his apartment.
Feeling that he is losing creative control over his show to Nora, Sheldon hires corrupt talent agent Burke Bennett, who assists him in renegotiating his contract to make him executive producer of his program, giving him full control and licensing rights over Smoochy. During dinner, Burke welcomes him to the dark side of the entertainment business by presenting him with a gun and introduces him to Irish mob boss Tommy Cotter and her cousin Lawrence "Spinner" Dunn, a retired heavyweight boxer with brain damage who owns a nightclub and also functions as the mascot for the restaurant she and her fellow mobsters run. Tommy pressures Sheldon into casting Spinner as Smoochy's cousin Moochy, vowing to shield him from subsequent harm.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Adam Resnick
- Cinematography: Anastas N. Michos
- Edited by: Jon Poll
- Music: David Newman
- Production design: Howard Cummings
- Produced by: Andrew Lazar, Peter Macgregor-Scott
Cast
- Robin Williams as Rainbow Randolph
- Edward Norton as Sheldon Mopes / Smoochy
- Catherine Keener as Nora Wells
- Danny DeVito as Burke Bennett
- Jon Stewart as Marion Frank Stokes
- Pam Ferris as Tommy Cotter
- Danny Woodburn as Angelo Pike
- Michael Rispoli as Spinner Dunn
- Harvey Fierstein as Merv Green
- Vincent Schiavelli as Buggy Ding Dong
Production
- Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures, Film4 Productions, Mad Chance, Senator International
- Budget: $55,000,000
- Box office: $8,400,000
- Themes: corruption, dark comedy, success, irish mob, murder, duringcreditsstinger, children's entertainer, comedy thriller, whimsical
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