Movie Review - Swiss Army Man

Movie: 

Swiss Army Man

Year: 

2016

Genre: 

Comedy ,Drama

What it was about (in > 50 words)

A down & out suicidal man, Hank (Paul Dano) tries to kill himself on a deserted island before he's interrupted by a "dead man" on the beach. Hank names him "Manny" (Daniel Radcliffe). Fortunately, Manny's many hidden talents help bring Hank back to civilization. On their journey, they develop a friendship and discover the joys of being alive.

Anything special/memorable?

It took me quite a while to figure out the title Swiss Army Man, which was obviously referring to Radcliffe's Manny, but he wasn't a soldier or anything remotely militaristic. Then it struck me - he's the human version of the Swiss Army Knife! This was because Manny had so many uses he's just like a Swiss army knife! Hank used Manny as a boat, water collection device, hunting rifle, compass, etc.

Somewhere in the middle, on their way back to civilization, Hank shares his life with Manny and we get to understand his perceived failings as a man. And one of the major motivations to stay alive was his unrequited affections for a woman named Sarah Johnson (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whom they both see on Hank's mobile phone wallpaper.

 

 There are quite a few funny moments especially the ingenious ways Hank uses Manny as a survival tool.

Some choice words to describe the movie: Weird, Bizarre, Odd, Errr, Strange, Rubbish, What The...?!

Waste/worth the time?

This to me is really quite an original film unlike any other I've ever watched (and as you can surmise, I've watched quite a few...). However, having said that, this film is not for everybody because if you don't have the patience, you may just feel that the movie didn't make any sense and wasn't really going anywhere.

 I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch something different - not the run-of-the-mill formulaic Hollywood fluff.

Will I want to watch this film again? Yes (maybe not so soon but definitely yes.)