Swiss Army Man (2016)

"Swiss Army Man" tells the story of a man who's stranded on a lonely island and in utter desperation when one day a corpse is released on the shore. After a series of bizarre events, he uncovers that his newly won company is actually still alife and now does everything he can to reach civilization and teach his friend about the life in the meantime.The film is quite bizarre and is probably produced to be so. Unfortunately, I didn't really like some of the scenes in which Daniel Radcliffe shows his abilities because they seemed just a bit too much over the top for me and I don't think they really enrichened the movie. Otherwise there are some nice thoughts about life and appreciating the little things woven into the story, that had, in my eyes, gained relevance through a more serious approach.All in all this is somehow unsatisfying because I do think there is a lot of potential but it sometimes gets left behind for a rather cheap joke or a quick laughter.

Skip this movie...There is nothing going on here. I found this movie to be just utter garbage. There is plenty of good movies in the world today, but this is not one of them, do not waste your time.

Swiss Army Man is the pure embodiment of what A24 are all about; it's original, creative, something a little out of the ordinary.The incredible performances from Radcliffe and Dano are what propel this film to great heights. Heart and emotion pours through in unorthodox ways that never feels anything but genuine. The humour, although would typically be seen as vulgar and juvenile amongst society, isn't off-putting; it doesn't take anything away from the film and adds to the candid and human nature of the narrative. Despite Swiss Army Man's fantastical elements, it provides realism and social commentary on the constructs and ideologies that have been placed upon us in society, as well as human thoughts, emotions, and connections. But it's the way it's handled and presented that I applaud most; it never feels pretentious or forced, it always feel sincere and focused on where it's going. The soundtrack/score is something that really stands out throughout the entirety of the film; it's beautiful and well incorporated, it perfectly balances the drama and heart. Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert told Dano they wanted to make a movie where "the first fart makes you laugh and the last fart makes you cry", and, as weird as that sounds, I can tell you, that's exactly what they did - and so effortlessly, too. Swiss Army Man will make you laugh, will make you cry, will make you think. It's a smart-man's film with great power and creativity that will distract you from reality and the inevitability of life, but, at the same time, open your eyes to it.

Without spoiling anything that's not in the synopsis, the film opens with our main character on a desert island, about to hang himself out of desperation -- when a dead body suddenly washes up on shore and causes him to reconsider. Okay... that was unexpected and I wanted to see where this was going. As the film's upbeat opening credits montage rolls, we see that the dead guy provides our protagonist with an unexpected use. By this point, I was already guessing that based on the film's title, the dead man would provide other survival-related functions, a bit like a Swiss Army Knife. Cool. Okay, so that having been established, what's next? Well, as it happens, not a whole lot. And that's a shame.As a 10-minute short film, SAM could have worked -- but as a feature-length film, it just drags and drags. I'd already read some reviews, including the one in my local (major city) newspaper, and was aware this film wasn't for everyone. But the paper's respected reviewer gave this film 3 stars out of 4 and closed by saying, "all bets are off as to where this story is headed. But it's impossible not to get caught up in it, even if you're simultaneously repelled by it." -- though after the 20-minute mark, that couldn't be any *further* from the truth. After enduring the film first 30 minutes and wondering "Is this going somewhere?" (the protagonist wasn't), we gave it another 10 minutes, then agreed to switch it off. And that's something we very rarely do -- like once or twice every 5 years, maybe.The next day, having looked through the "Ordered By: Helpfulness" reviews here on IMDb and seen so many high ratings and positive reviews , I decided to continue the movie, solo. I'm open minded, and no, I wasn't repulsed. But I also wasn't amused, entertained, or interested in any of the characters. I didn't find it at all "intelligent", as I'd seen some reviewers say, I didn't find anything redeeming about it, other than those first few opening minutes.Without spoiling the ending, the last 13 minutes of the film are so contrived that if you weren't already saying "This is stupid!", then you have no excuse not to be now. And not surprisingly, the movie even ends with a fizzle.Is Swiss Army Man unique? Sure. Is it worth watching? Most definitely not. If you do choose to watch it, well, you were warned!