Death To Smoochy
directed by Danny DeVito
starring Edward Norton, Robin Williams, Danny DeVito, Catherine Keener

       Death to Smoochy provides us with a very unnecessary, and very late satire of children's television.  It is also a very unfunny black comedy centering on multiple plots to kill a Barney-like superstar named Smoochy The Rhino.   Worst of all, though, it is an awful remake of a Capra movie that never existed.
       When the latest craze in youth programming, colorfully named Rainbow Randolph (Williams) is busted for taking payola, KidsNet replaces him with a good, wholesome character invented by Sheldon Mopes (Norton).  Mopes' creation promotes all the things that Mopes believes in: kindness and understanding, healthy snacks, and not selling out.  He is basically a walking poster boy for What Would Jesus Do.  Of course, the network, the agent, and other greedy individuals will not let him get away with the not selling out part.  On the other side of evil, Rainbow Randolph, who has bottomed out like the rest of KidsNet's previous criminal or drug addicted hosts, only wants Smoochy dead so that he can have his time slot back.
       The plot begins as a sort of deranged Capra movie.  A Mr. Smith Goes to Mr. Rogers' Corrupt Neighborhood if you will.  Like the upcoming actual Capra remake, Mr. Deeds, the original innocence and aww-shucks comedy is pushed behind for the modern taste of racey and shocking jokes plus plenty of swears and guns.   It eventually steals a lot from Network without nabbing any of Chayefsky's intelligence or timeliness. 
       I'm sure I laughed a few times, mostly during the moments involving an Irish Mafia and a brain damaged ex-boxer.  There's also a somewhat amusing song about step-fathers.  Otherwise the jokes fall flat.   Robin Williams is his usual over-the-top mess and Catherin Keener is a cynic and DeVito directs himself in a typecast snake role, while Edward Norton seems very out of place in the movie.  He is better than this.  I should have listened to my brother when I gave him my expectation with the reason that Edward Norton only does good movies.  He reminded me of Keeping The Faith. 
       I would have liked to see Chris Elliott, seeing as how the film was written by Adam Resnick of Cabin Boy and Get A Life fame.  I would have even accepted Adam Sandler.   Most of all, though, I would have not liked to see this movie.  I will stick to the original Capra films, the original Network, and Norton and Williams in dramatic roles only, thank you.  Death to Smoochy indeed.

"Hey kids, don't mind the fact that it looks like Smoochy has eaten Edward Norton, we have to keep the star's face showing at all times!"