10/4/2016 - Swiss Army Man (2016) - 5/10

Swiss Army Man - Inventive and whimsical, with its pathos inclined magical realism, but on the whole missing the mark for me. The wit and style were cut sharply by the juvenility and creepiness of the characters/situations. Portions of what my eyes witnessed were dazzling, but rarely was I stirred emotionally.

I feel that Dano and Radcliffe did quite well, especially Radcliffe, bringing dead characters to life (pun intended). The Daniels do a marvelous job of submerging the audience in a shallow pool of vivid fantasy and expectations-less possibility. Unfortunately, for me, the "voice" that they were speaking with was one of infantile excess and callow superficiality. The farting, the boners, emotional stiltedness, and over/under-empathic symbiosis with the audience left me underwhelmed with waning interest.

I love the risks they took and the imaginative offerings they brought to the table. I wanted to like it, but felt my enjoyment was squelched, by their excesses and scarcities. It went big, and I can applaud that, but I think at best it was a near miss, riding the greatness roller coaster.