I surprisingly loved the hell out of this. The trailer totally rubbed me the wrong way, I'm very glad that the film actually isn't stupid at all but a rather poignant one. Daniel Radcliffe gives his best performance ever and Paul Dano is great as well.

Moments before ending his life, a desperate and marooned man (Paul Dano) notices a corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) wash ashore. Upon investigation, he realizes the flatulent, slightly decayed dead body is able to communicate and possesses other supernatural powers. The two form an unusual friendship and begin a journey homeward. Swiss Army Man is at times a deeply unusual experience (how many films feature a corpse propelling itself through water by farting?), but it has a fairly conventional core of indie uplift and is heavily indebted to Michel Gondry's brand of homespun, lo-fi whimsy. Both actors commit to their roles and shine, with Dano tending to the heavier, more poignant beats while Radcliffe experiments with a fusion of macabre physical comedy and wide-eyed wonderment in his most ambitious and outlandish non-Potter role to date. The film's second act—after the first's striking novelty, before the third's catharses and revelations—runs a tad long, but this accessible oddity is otherwise quite charming...if one can roll with an almost nonstop stream of erection, fart, and waterlogged-cadaver gags.

B

Having now seen it, I fully understand the wide array of reactions Swiss Army Man has received ever since it debuted at Sundance earlier this year, and I'm definitely in the camp that enjoys it heartily. The premise is incredibly bizarre, but everyone involved on either side of the camera is totally committed to wringing as much comedic and dramatic mileage out of it as they possibly can. Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe are both spot-on in their respective roles; Dano is believable and quietly heartbreaking as a troubled man, and Radcliffe displays great comedic aptitude with his childlike reactions to all that occurs around him. At first, I was giggling more than I probably should at the immature gags; by about the midway point however, I was so taken with the dynamic between the characters that I genuinely cared about what happened to them. Admittedly, the film does misstep to some degree in a third act that does too much to inject a real edge into the surreal nature of all that comes before, but the film as a whole is still so strangely fun and moving that I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I left the auditorium.

B+

Without spoiling any of the dialogue, I can also say that the discussions on masturbation make for hands-down the funniest dialogue in any 2016 film to date.

I will certainly give this movie credit for being unlike anything else I've seen. A farting boner corpse is not your average night at the movies. I don't think the movie is entirely successful, and it's almost a bit too weird. But there are flashes of greatness, and Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano are both pretty excellent. B-

I actually really adored this one. I thought it was incredibly well performed, directed and was quite profound and moving. Radcliffe and Dano were both wonderful and the score was amazing. I knew from the moment they first started flying that I was in for a special movie. Sure it's weird but it's honestly one of the best movies about friendships I've ever seen. Just an all around beautiful movie.

A

There's weird and there's "seriously, what the fuck?" I will give the movie credit for being unlike anything I've seen or fathomed before, and I have to appreciate originality where I can find it. But their relationship never really solidified for me and failed to crescendo to any kind of poignancy. The exceedingly uncomfortable third act kind of deflated the whole bag, which despite excessive amounts of gas released, never fully inflated.


B-


Am I wrong or was the last line in the movie, honest-to-god, "What the Fuck?" felt that was appropriate

Wow, did not mean to Melania Trump you there Libs. Apparently we felt very similarly

Such a strange film, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't incredibly moving. Dano/Radcliffe were fantastic in this, especially Radcliffe who I didn't expect would be such an emotionally driven character. It looses it's way a bit towards the climax, but I liked how it ended and that score was beautifully done.

This is such a love it/hate it type of movie. At times it's very annoying, dumb, stupid. Then it becomes sweet, sad, almost very poignant. It's definitely one of the weirdest movie I've seen recently.

I'm not really sure the ending worked for it though.

*** / ***** (C)

Watched this beautiful movie again recently. Love it so much. Still my favorite of the year.

I'm an hour in and am finding this utterly insufferable. And I was excited for it/usually love A24 movies.

Yeah, I hated this. It was different, that's for sure, but this is the worst kind of twee-indie-bullshit movie. The characters are hugely unlikable and annoying, the humor is forced and juvenile, I didn't think the heart was there and the music was incredibly overbearing. Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe do their best with a weak script but I couldn't wait for this one to end. One of the worst of the year for me. D+

The film didn't really get to me, maybe that's because I simply didn't really get it. Dano and Radcliffe put in great performances, the film is cute in a way and tries to keep it light but instead of it making me engaged to it, I felt a greater interest in the background of the character and instead felt more frustrated that it wasn't delved into.

C+

As already pointed out its very weird and not for everyone. For me I liked it in the first half but the second half became a tad too repetitive and the finale wasn't very satisfactory with real life intervention. The performances are really good from Dano and Radcliffe.

6/10