The Robin Williams Secret Gem That Needs Saving
As we rapidly approach the ten-year anniversary of Robin Williams’ tragic and untimely passing, fans have flocked to streaming to rewatch their favorite films starring the acclaimed comedian. While many of Williams’ greatest roles have been immortalized by streaming services, one classic 2002 comedy has been mired with an unceremonious lack of praise and availability to fans. The film, Death To Smoochy, is currently unavailable to stream on any service, in a tragic burial of a cult classic ensemble piece that deserves to be seen and remembered.
Robin Williams And The Cast Of Death To Smoochy
Death To Smoochy stars Robin Williams alongside a veritable Mount Rushmore of comedy icons including Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, Danny DeVito, Pam Ferris, Danny Woodburn, and former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Danny DeVito directed the black comedy, based on a screenplay from The Larry Sanders Show writer Adam Resnick. Despite serving as a box office bomb, the film has gone down in cinema history as a cult classic, resulting in an outcry of demand for the movie’s long-awaited debut on a streaming platform.
Robin Williams As Rainbow
In Death To Smoochy, Robin Williams stars as “Rainbow” Randolph Smiley, a former children’s entertainment mascot arrested and canceled for accepting bribes from advertisers. After being thrown out of his prestigious penthouse and left homeless in the streets, the ruined drunkard vows to get revenge upon Kidnet, the children’s entertainment conglomerate that fired him. The studio quickly replaces Rainbow with a new television series, which centers on Edward Norton’s squeaky-clean Sheldon Mopes and his anthropomorphic rhinoceros Smoochy.
Murder And Corruption
As Rainbow crafts a number of plans to bring death to Smoochy and reclaim his old time slot, Mopes begins to lose control of his new show, prompting him to seek advice from a number of shifty entertainment executives. Before long, Mopes becomes completely embroiled in a web of deceit and corruption, entirely independent of Smiley’s iniquitous schemes.
Before long, Smoochy is performing live shows for crowds of raving Neo-Nazis, resulting in the performer being branded as a racist and losing his show. As Death To Smoochy continues, a number of overlapping murder and corruption plots begin to spiral out of control, showcasing the highs and lows of a massive media career, and the fragile relationship between money and fame. The result is a deafening indictment of the film and television industry from sardonic and seasoned media veteran, Danny DeVito.
Never To Be Found On Streaming
Given that Death To Smoochy was produced by Warner Brothers, it stands to reason that the studio could easily place the film on Max for any viewers at home. The film previously released physical copies on both VHS and DVD, though media of this kind has become notoriously difficult to track down, making copies a potential collector’s item. Fans surely can’t expect to find the decades-old film in stock at their local Walmart or Target, potentially leading them to alternative measures such as piracy.
A Beloved Cult Film New Geneartions Need To Discover
Death To Smoochy may not have the critical acclaim of Barbie, or a 100 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the film has a great deal of heart, wit, and excellent performances from actors at the top of their game. With no availability on streaming, fans are currently left waiting for Warner-Discovery executives to have a change of heart, or be blackmailed into doing their bidding.
