Film Review: Spotty ‘Swiss Army Man’ Has Just Enough Gas

Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2016 - 5:57pm

CHICAGO – It’s a simple concept. A man is stuck on an island, and has run out of hope. A dead corpse washes ashore and starts farting. The farts are so frequent that the man rides the corpse like a jet ski. The man is “saved”? Oh yes, and the corpse is portrayed by Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

In one of the wildest and most original ideas to come along in film culture in a while, “Swiss Army Man” is a “one joke” concept that does a bit more than just expectorate gas. The journey that the man and his corpse go on becomes important enough to change a few lives, and no matter which astral plane the actions of the dead body are coming from, the way he is able to save a dying man becomes the most important point. This is a buddy comedy for the ages, and besides the obvious cheap fart joke laughs, it does have some heart.

Hank (Paul Dano) is stuck on a remote island without food, ever since – according to him – he was shipwrecked. He come to the end of his rope, and uses it to hang himself. Just as he is about to do it, he spies a body on the beach. The corpse is dead, but he dubs it Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). The body has a talent for flatulence, so much so that Hank is literally able to use the corpse as power boat to safety.

But the safety is only relative, Hank is still lost. He takes it upon himself to bring Manny along, and use his body to survive. Manny’s farts start fires, he is able to provide clean water like a faucet and his flatulence also allows him to fly. He also begins to talk, in a sort of nether state way, and Hank begins to teach him anew about the world he has left behind. There is a girl named Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who also has a role in both their lives, and the key to her truth unlocks the endgame. 

“Swiss Army Man” opened nationwide on July 1st. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Richard Gross. Screenplay written and film directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan. Rated “R”