Death to Smoochy

Embittered ex-TV host of a children’s show tries to kill off his successor., Danny DeVito steps behind the camera for this darkly funny satire that combines elements of Barney and Friends with the real-life Pee-Wee Herman scandal while recalling the director’s previously twisted black comedies Throw Momma From the Train (1987) and The War of the Roses (1989). Robin Williams stars as Randolph Smiley, a popular children’s show host known professionally as “Rainbow Randolph.” Dismissed from his beloved job when he’s caught taking payola, Randolph becomes increasingly mentally unhinged and the target of his delusional revenge fantasies is Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton), otherwise known as Smoochy, the fuchsia rhino character that has replaced him and soared to national popularity. Randolph soon learns that his ex-girlfriend and network executive Nora Wells (Catherine Keener) is sleeping with Sheldon, so he sets out to kill Smoochy, egged on by an unexpected ally: corporate president Marion Frank Stokes (Jon Stewart), who should be profiting from Smoochy’s rise to fame, except for the fact that he and his cronies are unable to control the idealistic Sheldon’s on-air agenda. Death to Smoochy (2002) co-stars Harvey Fierstein, Vincent Shiavelli, and Michael Rispoli., A disgraced kids’ show icon vows revenge on his replacement – loveable purple rhino Smoochy. Meanwhile, the squeaky-clean Smoochy actor struggles with his overnight fame and the cutthroat business of children’s television., Danny DeVIto’s dark comedy stars Robin Williams as Rainbow Randolph, a corrupt TV clown who’s sacked when he’s caught taking bribes, and replaced by clean-cut Smoochy. But Randolph will go to extraordinary lengths for revenge… The twisted humour and cynical portrayal of children’s entertainment – scripted by Late Night with David Letterman writer Adam Resnick – are the ingredients of a cult classic, combining to produce a unique oddball film, with a compelling cast that also includes Catherine Keener, Jon Stewart, Pam Ferris, Harvey Fierstein and DeVIto himself., Dark comedy about the entertainment business and consumer culture. A kids-TV icon’s fall from grace paves the way for squeaky-clean Smoochy the Rhino. Their rivalry creates the perfect environment for a duplicitous agent, a shady charity organization and the Irish mob to take advantage., Danny DeVito returns as a director in this amusing satire with Robin Williams as Randolph Smiley, the host of a popular children’s TV program, also known as Rainbow Randolph. After being involved in a blackmail scandal, the star of the show is cast aside and replaced by Smoochy, a fuchsia, spongy rhinoceros, played by Edward Norton. Smoochy also has an affair with Randolph’s ex-girlfriend, Nora Wells (Catherine Keener), a network executive. When the former host finds out, he starts to plan his cruel revenge on the new children’s idol., Children’s TV favourite Rainbow Randolph is fired after a scandal. He’s replaced by squeaky-clean Sheldon, aka Smoochy the purple rhino, whose ethics start to hurt the network. So Randolph gets a shot at revenge…