BEST Death to Smoochy EVER

Here's the thing about this alleged winter (and I say alleged because the temperatures are no where near winter-like)… there isn't a whole lot going on. And to be honest, it's okay. Winter is sort of the time that you spend at home and find that not every single moment is booked with some zany activity. Although my life has become significantly less bangin', I’m using the winter months to sort of regroup from the craziness that is every other season. I've been reading a lot, talking long walks on Sunday afternoons, and watching a movie here and there.
And as you've probably already guessed by the title of this posting… over the weekend I watched one of the grandest pieces of cinematic artistry ever committed to film - The movie Death to Smoochy.

I had been wanting to see Death to Smoochy for a while, mainly because Jon Stewart always makes cracks about it on the Daily Show. I was expecting the usual camp, a few cheap laughs, and the like. What I got instead was a compelling story of a man in a fuchsia rhinoceros costume struggling to stay true to his values of good nutrition and saying please and thank you in the seedy underworld of children's television programming.

Without giving too much away, basically what happens is Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) is busted taking bribes from parents to give their children airtime on his show. So, in a scandal, he quits, and is replaced by Smoochy (Edward Norton). Smoochy is a bit of a renegade bohemian who tries to bring ethics and values back to children's programming in the face of several obstacles including a murderous disgruntled Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams plays an excellent Deranged Person), the Help the Children charity mob, bitchy producers, and horrible Jon Stewart cameos.

The movie becomes a classic struggle of man trying to stay true to his core values in the face of wealth, power, and influence. The movie also contains a love story, an Irish restaurant, midget, neo-Nazism, and enough potty humor to make a 13 year old giggle uncontrollably.

So there I sat on Friday night, transfixed by all that was Death to Smoochy. I'm not going to lie either… the Moochy ascending into heaven part of the ice show brought a tear to my eye. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you are one cold cold hearted meanie.

Note: I REALLY need to start getting out more.

I'll end with the words of Smoochy himself, "You can't change the world, but you can make a dent."