Film Critique "weiner-Dog and Swiss Army Man"

Weiner-Dog & Swiss Army Man - Both films are about The Will. The will to try, and to be you. One is melodramatic, at times maudlin, the other is satirical, and more philosophical than the other might try to be. Regardless, nothing's wrong when melodrama is good, and who doesn't like to sarcastically laugh at the world sometimes?

Both films are also about poop. Yes, poop. It reminds me of the ending of the most recent season of Louie, where the "hack" comedian tells Louie that, "All you NY guys are the same; you'

re always try something GREAT! What's wrong with poop? You don't like poop jokes? Louie, humiliated, confesses, "I love poop jokes." The idea here is that what is considered lowbrow is loved by both most people because, I don't know, maybe there's something deeply and profoundly funny about someone releasing gas, and the sound it makes? A lot can be talked about the sounds that make us laugh for reasons we can't fully explain: the way certain people talk, the sound a chair makes, your significant others walk, etc. The point here is that both films, the indie and "indie film," use poop as a tool to remind us at times that no matter our stature, the little things like a good fart joke will make any one laugh, no matter the situation on screen, regardless of the message being conveyed.

The beauty of both of these films is that they're commenting on one another, whether they know it or not. I see artists desperately trying to create something "real," and they sometimes forget exactly what they wanted to say in the first place, forgetting that both low and high brow can be utilized to create something real, even if it's something as simplistic as Swiss Army Man, or satirical as Weiner-Dog. This idea shows up in both films, yet the answer isn't as easy as we'd like it to be. Paul Dano's "weird" nature in Swiss Army Man might not be accepted by the people he wants to impress, but we're told to not care what others think about our true selves, right? Danny DeVito's character in Weiner-Dog might've sold one script 19 years ago, and even though it was shtick hack, does that mean that's all he is, with nothing else to offer? While Swiss Army Man might be easier to answer for some, Weiner-Dog plays with the material in an ironic, meta way, commenting on Todd Solondz own endeavors as a director

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