SMALLS MAKES A NEW FRIEND IN MANNY WITH SWISS ARMY MAN

In Swiss Army Man, Hank (Paul Dano) takes a boat out to sea only to be stranded on a deserted island. After an undetermined amount of time, Hank decides there is no way he's going to be rescued and so makes up his mind to hang himself. Before he can go through with the deed, a body of a man (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore. It isn't long before Hank realizes that the body is gifted with strange powers (among which are powerful farts), and that it may not be quite as dead as it seems (Has Hank started to hallucinate due to lack of food and water, or is something else even more strange and seemingly impossible going on?). Hank names it Manny, and begins to teach him about what it means to be alive. Together, they form a powerful bond and Manny begins to lead Hank back to civilization in his own, strange ways.

Swiss Army Man is the surreal, imaginative version of Cast Away (And Manny could be viewed as this film's version of Wilson). Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe are phenomenal here. They work together perfectly and you completely buy their budding bro-mance. The film is filled with odd, surreal, bizarre moments and manages to be quite uplifting most of the time, while still finding time to balance out these moments with bits of sadness and reflection. This may be Radcliffe's best role to date (possibly even surpassing his iconic turn as The Boy Who Lived). Although he plays a dead body with little to no movement, he is absolutely alive and electric here. If you thought it was all downhill after HP for this young, talented actor, Swiss Army Man offers strong evidence  that you couldn't be more wrong. Paul Dano does a fantastic job as well as the quirky, odd, might be losing his mind Hank. Despite his possible mania, Hank still manages to come across as quite intelligent and sympathetic. It's easy to root for these two to make it back to civilization (and for Manny to maybe regain his life and humanity)

Swiss Army Man is a film about finding the beauty in life, even in death. It's an inspiring, uplifting film that had me smiling a good deal. The soundtrack (by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell) is also extremely unique, imaginative, and original (You've never really heard anything quite like it). Directed and written by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (credited simply as Daniels), this is their feature writing/directing debut and it's quite impressive. I have no qualms with saying that these are two dudes we should maybe keep an eye on. Funny, touching, and refreshingly different, Swiss Army Man is a real winner and easily makes it to the top of the best films of 2016 (thus far).

5 STARS