Death to Smoochy
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: March 29, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
11
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
If you're in the mood for razor-sharp satire, this is the most refreshingly outrageous movie of the season. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The spectacle is nothing short of refreshing. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Death to Smoochy is often very funny, but what's even more remarkable is the integrity of DeVito's misanthropic vision. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's good -- no, great -- to see Williams as a mean rat bastard. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
In general, parodies may not rely overmuch on plot, but they need more in this department than Death to Smoochy possesses. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Plays like a long TV sketch, but with an array of characters, themes, subplots and situations just clever enough to keep it moving, and to give cover to its underlying cynicism.
60
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
Resnick has crafted an ambitious, if extremely uneven, character study. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Starts out as such a deliciously savage satire of TV kiddie shows that it's a shame it swerves out of control and over the top, sliding into tedium before pulling together for a clever, if protracted, finish. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
So off-the-wall that it may well ultimately acquire the cult status of Resnick's earlier Chris Elliot vehicle, "Cabin Boy." Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Smoochy, like the cuddly character, tries to be loved and ends on an unrealistically upbeat note. But it's in better, wittier form just being vicious and biting. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeLoren King
The script boasts some tart TV-insider humor, but the film has not a trace of humanity or empathy. Read full review
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Pushes its dark, smart, clever, cynical, satirical, nasty, provocative and sarcastic instincts to the point of heavily diminished returns -- to the point where the very amusing premise just isn't funny anymore. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Sporadically funny, twisted for sure, it risks becoming as repetitive and shrill as the kinds of programs it satirizes. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
DeVito definitely has a gift for absurd black humor that kicks in here and there, but Adam Resnick's script is slavishly mean-spirited. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A dark comedy that blows up like an exploding cigar, leaving nothing much behind but smoke, noise and a bad taste. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter Travers
This black-comic assault on family entertainment is going to set a lot of teeth on edge -- If only his (De Vito's) material were better this time. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyJohn Powers
A broad, braying yuk fest that revels in coarse jokes, lacks the courage of its own cynicism (things keep wavering into sentimentality) and refuses to develop its own premise. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Williams, going full throttle as the desperate deposed kiddie icon Rainbow Ralph, is, well, simply exhausting. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Death to Smoochy? Yes, please. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Tells a moldy-oldie, not-nearly-as-nasty-as-it-thinks-it-is joke. Over and over again. Read full review
30
SalonStephanie Zacharek
All noise with very little fun, and almost no restraint. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
It's so over the top, the top isn't even visible in the rear-view mirror. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A misfire of spectacular proportions. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
An aggressive black comedy that seeks to satisfy a bloodlust already quelled many times over. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
To call Death to Smoochy satire -- or parody, burlesque, or even lampoon -- would be too generous. The moviemakers merely glide on the thin ice of yesterday's cynicism.
20
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
There are a few laughs, but I'm not sure that a comedy is supposed to make you recoil, which is what "Smoochy" does. Read full review
20
Film ThreatAlex Nohe
It is impossible to say whether the premise or its execution is more fatal in "Death to Smoochy." One would expect something greater out of the talents assembled. Read full review
20
SlateDavid Edelstein
DiVito turns actors like Robin Williams, Edward Norton, and Catherine Keener into nothing less horrific than giant Danny DeVitos. Read full review
12
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
To make a film this awful, you have to have enormous ambition and confidence, and dream big dreams. Read full review
10
Chicago ReaderHank Sartin
It's hard to pinpoint where things go wrong. Read full review
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