I feel pretty confident in saying that "Swiss Army Man" has a premise that you haven't seen in any other movie. In this day and age, that's saying something in and of itself. Whether that's enough to carry an entire movie is another story.
The premise here is that a lonely & hopeless man stranded on a deserted island more or less befriends a corpse that washes up on shore. While trying to make their way back to civilization the two bond. The living guy teaches the dead one about life and the dead guy functions as sort of a human version of a Swiss Army knife. To say that the premise is off the wall is an understatement. Yet, there does seem to be a metaphorical underpinning to this relationship, though it's one that you'll have to infer for yourself since the filmmakers don't dwell on it. Of course, it's possible that it could all just be pure fantasy with little deeper meaning, though I doubt it.
Considering that almost all of the movie's runtime is focused on just two individuals, this is a movie that demands a lot from its actors. Paul Dano especially, since his character is actually alive. You might think that Daniel Radcliffe would have limited opportunities for expression since he plays a corpse but the role is more interesting than you might think. Strange as it may sound, Dano & Radcliffe actually have good chemistry together and you buy into their friendship as a result. The rest of the small cast is mostly undistinguished, though it does include Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a small but pivotal role.
Stylistically, the movie is nicely done, though it does have its eccentricities. Mostly, it's quirky in roughly the same way that other so-called 'quirky' movies are quirky. The music reflects this and just the general visual style (cinematography, editing, etc...). It's arguably a case of style over substance, though I do think that there is some substance at the bottom of this movie if you care to give some thought to what you're watching.
While I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this movie it's definitely worth watching for someone who thinks they've seen it all. Even then, their reaction could just as easily be to hate it rather than love it. Personally, I think that the meaning of the story might be a bit too obscure for most viewers (at least as far as I've interpreted it) but it's told with enough panache to save the movie from being weird without being entertaining.
The premise here is that a lonely & hopeless man stranded on a deserted island more or less befriends a corpse that washes up on shore. While trying to make their way back to civilization the two bond. The living guy teaches the dead one about life and the dead guy functions as sort of a human version of a Swiss Army knife. To say that the premise is off the wall is an understatement. Yet, there does seem to be a metaphorical underpinning to this relationship, though it's one that you'll have to infer for yourself since the filmmakers don't dwell on it. Of course, it's possible that it could all just be pure fantasy with little deeper meaning, though I doubt it.
Considering that almost all of the movie's runtime is focused on just two individuals, this is a movie that demands a lot from its actors. Paul Dano especially, since his character is actually alive. You might think that Daniel Radcliffe would have limited opportunities for expression since he plays a corpse but the role is more interesting than you might think. Strange as it may sound, Dano & Radcliffe actually have good chemistry together and you buy into their friendship as a result. The rest of the small cast is mostly undistinguished, though it does include Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a small but pivotal role.
Stylistically, the movie is nicely done, though it does have its eccentricities. Mostly, it's quirky in roughly the same way that other so-called 'quirky' movies are quirky. The music reflects this and just the general visual style (cinematography, editing, etc...). It's arguably a case of style over substance, though I do think that there is some substance at the bottom of this movie if you care to give some thought to what you're watching.
While I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this movie it's definitely worth watching for someone who thinks they've seen it all. Even then, their reaction could just as easily be to hate it rather than love it. Personally, I think that the meaning of the story might be a bit too obscure for most viewers (at least as far as I've interpreted it) but it's told with enough panache to save the movie from being weird without being entertaining.