Approx. Runtime: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
Language Watched: English
Type of Movie: Comedy, Drama, Philosophical
Overall Impression: Very weird yet very beautiful at the same time. I highly recommend it! <3
DIFFERENT FORMAT NOTICE!!!
So for this specific movie, I don't want to explain much about it -- I would rather you watch the movie with as little exposure as possible, so you can get the full impact of everything on-screen. I'm writing this entry because I just really want to talk about it! So... this entry will be spoiler-heavy. If you haven't yet watched the movie, please only read the "Personal Standing" and "Overall Thoughts" sections. Everything else will be spoiler-talk.
PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)
Well, I didn't even know Swiss Army Man existed until I saw Chris Stuckmann's review of it on YouTube. I watched the review, got a little intrigued, and then I forgot about it as I got lost in the busy workweek. I was initially thinking, Maybe I'll rent it when it comes out on DVD.
Then one Tuesday morning, I decided on a whim to check it out -- and I'm very glad that I did.
That's it for the non-spoiler thoughts. Everything beyond this point will be me talking about Swiss Army Man as if you have already seen the movie. So the plot and characters won't be described at all. It will be VERY SPOILER-FILLED, so do NOT read any further if you haven't watched Swiss Army Man. I'll put the usual scrolly things before and after. Again, SPOILERS BELOW!
If this is where you stop, thank you for reading and take care! :)
Then one Tuesday morning, I decided on a whim to check it out -- and I'm very glad that I did.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Without hyping this up too much, Swiss Army Man easily ranks as one of my all-time favourite movies. Everything about it is great -- the acting, camera work, the characters, the music. Even if you never check out the movie, I highly recommend checking out the soundtrack. It is soothing, beautiful, and also haunting at times.
I initially thought the pacing was a little slow at the beginning, but upon a second viewing the pacing was fine. The humour may be offsetting, but it amused me more than anything. Every now and then I was thinking, Hahaha -- somebody thought this up -- cool!
I've read and listened to many reviews saying that Swiss Army Man isn't for everyone. While I agree that it may not be for everyone, I would actually recommend it to everybody (within the movie's rating -- it does have some mature content). I think everybody can take something away from it, even if it may be disgust, pure "wtf did I just watch?", or being weirded out. Of course, with me recommending the movie so much, I took away something else after watching it -- something positive and nice. ^^
I initially thought the pacing was a little slow at the beginning, but upon a second viewing the pacing was fine. The humour may be offsetting, but it amused me more than anything. Every now and then I was thinking, Hahaha -- somebody thought this up -- cool!
I've read and listened to many reviews saying that Swiss Army Man isn't for everyone. While I agree that it may not be for everyone, I would actually recommend it to everybody (within the movie's rating -- it does have some mature content). I think everybody can take something away from it, even if it may be disgust, pure "wtf did I just watch?", or being weirded out. Of course, with me recommending the movie so much, I took away something else after watching it -- something positive and nice. ^^
That's it for the non-spoiler thoughts. Everything beyond this point will be me talking about Swiss Army Man as if you have already seen the movie. So the plot and characters won't be described at all. It will be VERY SPOILER-FILLED, so do NOT read any further if you haven't watched Swiss Army Man. I'll put the usual scrolly things before and after. Again, SPOILERS BELOW!
If this is where you stop, thank you for reading and take care! :)
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STORY
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I personally would have liked it more if Hank and Manny decided to stay in the woods instead of getting back to civilization. I know it would have changed the impact of the movie's message entirely, but... Hank just seemed so much happier in the woods. Why leave it?
The ending felt so abrupt and off-putting the first time I watched it. It made me feel like they just didn't know how to end it properly. Upon a second viewing, though, I was fine with it. Though... it would have been nice if Manny stayed with Hank instead of farting off back into the ocean. But I get it -- if Manny had stayed with Hank, Manny would probably be taken into "custody" and a bunch of scientists / doctors would be examining how he could be "alive" even though he is a corpse. Then Hank would feel so much guilt over Manny's situation. Manny showing to everybody that Hank was telling the truth and then going away was the best course of action.
For my own peace of mind, though (because I don't want them to say good-bye!) -- I will imagine an after-credit scene where Hank is alone sitting by the beach looking out into the ocean. He closes his eyes and takes a long deep breath. In the midst of his long breath, he hears a fart. Then he quickly opens his eyes and he sees Manny washed up on shore. Manny is looking at Hank with a quiet smile. Hank has a moment of surprise -- then a happy, yet tearful smile spreads across his lips as he says, "Hi buddy." Then Manny's smile gets wider as he says back, "Hi buddy." Lol -- I guess it is lame and cheesy, but I like it.
Below are some scenes that really stuck with me especially after I left the theatre.
The kiss -- I thought this was so, so sweet. I think it expresses well the love between them. NOT a romantic love -- but the love of acceptance; "the kind of love that keeps you alive" (quote from my favourite novel). Manny's expression of pure happiness was soooo nice.
The berries scene -- Ahhh, I feel so bad for Hank. He looked so joyous when he was picking those berries.
The montage -- That was super-fun to watch. I want my own Swiss Army Man! Lol.
The bus scenes -- This had so many lovely visuals. The hand holding... Manny feeling that he can't talk to Sarah because she's too beautiful... when Sarah first steps onto the bus...
I also really like the part when Manny is looking out of the window and the scenery is scrolling by. Manny's line "So this is the life I've forgotten..." is so chilling and sad. I get affected almost everytime, several thoughts running through my head like, Did you want to forget? If you wanted to forget, why did you want to forget?
The ending felt so abrupt and off-putting the first time I watched it. It made me feel like they just didn't know how to end it properly. Upon a second viewing, though, I was fine with it. Though... it would have been nice if Manny stayed with Hank instead of farting off back into the ocean. But I get it -- if Manny had stayed with Hank, Manny would probably be taken into "custody" and a bunch of scientists / doctors would be examining how he could be "alive" even though he is a corpse. Then Hank would feel so much guilt over Manny's situation. Manny showing to everybody that Hank was telling the truth and then going away was the best course of action.
For my own peace of mind, though (because I don't want them to say good-bye!) -- I will imagine an after-credit scene where Hank is alone sitting by the beach looking out into the ocean. He closes his eyes and takes a long deep breath. In the midst of his long breath, he hears a fart. Then he quickly opens his eyes and he sees Manny washed up on shore. Manny is looking at Hank with a quiet smile. Hank has a moment of surprise -- then a happy, yet tearful smile spreads across his lips as he says, "Hi buddy." Then Manny's smile gets wider as he says back, "Hi buddy." Lol -- I guess it is lame and cheesy, but I like it.
FAVOURITE / MEMORABLE SCENES
I'm going to say right now that I love everything about Swiss Army Man. There are so many breathtaking, beautiful visuals. And omg -- all the humorous scenes. Many of the "gross" scenes like Hank drinking water out of Manny's mouth were simply amusing to me. I wasn't grossed out at all. The only scene that made me cringe was when Hank used Manny's teeth to shave his beard. I just thought, Ahhhh, poor teeth!Below are some scenes that really stuck with me especially after I left the theatre.
The kiss -- I thought this was so, so sweet. I think it expresses well the love between them. NOT a romantic love -- but the love of acceptance; "the kind of love that keeps you alive" (quote from my favourite novel). Manny's expression of pure happiness was soooo nice.
The berries scene -- Ahhh, I feel so bad for Hank. He looked so joyous when he was picking those berries.
The montage -- That was super-fun to watch. I want my own Swiss Army Man! Lol.
The bus scenes -- This had so many lovely visuals. The hand holding... Manny feeling that he can't talk to Sarah because she's too beautiful... when Sarah first steps onto the bus...
I also really like the part when Manny is looking out of the window and the scenery is scrolling by. Manny's line "So this is the life I've forgotten..." is so chilling and sad. I get affected almost everytime, several thoughts running through my head like, Did you want to forget? If you wanted to forget, why did you want to forget?
ACTING/CHARACTERS
I'm embarrassed to admit... but I didn't know who Paul Dano was until Swiss Army Man -- and I watched Little Miss Sunshine and Prisoners a long time ago. I guess he just never really stood out to me before (I am so sorry! ><). For Daniel Radcliffe, this is the first movie I've seen him in since the Harry Potter movies.
I LOVED the acting here. Both Paul and Daniel did a great job portraying their character and they both worked so well together. I also loved their singing.
With Hank, I can really relate to his sense of loneliness, his low confidence and esteem in himself -- thinking that he is undeserving of happiness. I love his personal growth, which I will talk about in a later section.
About Manny -- he is just awesome. I love his blunt honesty and how he says everything that's on his mind and doesn't hide anything. It adds a bit of tactless humour when he says biting "truths" but you know there is no malice behind it ("But you ran away, because nobody loves you."... "Oh yeah. Nobody loves you."... "Maybe we're all just sacks of sh**"). Despite the harsh truths, I also really love how Manny does his best to make Hank feel he's not alone.
When Manny says to Hank something along the lines of, "I think I'm feeling scared... 'cuz if I die, I think I'll really miss you", my heart kinda melted. I don't really know how to describe it. It was such a sweet line.
I LOVED the acting here. Both Paul and Daniel did a great job portraying their character and they both worked so well together. I also loved their singing.
CHARACTERS
Hank and Manny... what lovely characters. I love them both immensely. I love their honesty with each other. Even when Hank is holding back, he honestly says so when Manny confronts him about it.With Hank, I can really relate to his sense of loneliness, his low confidence and esteem in himself -- thinking that he is undeserving of happiness. I love his personal growth, which I will talk about in a later section.
About Manny -- he is just awesome. I love his blunt honesty and how he says everything that's on his mind and doesn't hide anything. It adds a bit of tactless humour when he says biting "truths" but you know there is no malice behind it ("But you ran away, because nobody loves you."... "Oh yeah. Nobody loves you."... "Maybe we're all just sacks of sh**"). Despite the harsh truths, I also really love how Manny does his best to make Hank feel he's not alone.
When Manny says to Hank something along the lines of, "I think I'm feeling scared... 'cuz if I die, I think I'll really miss you", my heart kinda melted. I don't really know how to describe it. It was such a sweet line.
MUSIC
The music is so fantastic. It can make me feel so many emotions. While I like every track, my favourite ones are: "Cave Ballad", "Montage", "River Rocket", "Liar", "Goodbye/Hello", "Run Down the Mountain", and "Finale".
I wish there was a lyric sheet for "River Rocket". The little snippets I hear clearly sounds like something I want to really listen to. I want to sing it. Here are some of the lyrics I hear:
"Heartless... how are you heartless? I saw your sadness... and made it my own."
"We've gotta depend on each other to function..."
"I wanna climb in your brain... devour the [xxx?] and opinions..."
"Distill the fear and the shame..."
"We just have to remember that we're all here for a purpose in the end."
"Everything everywhere matters to everything."
"Liar" makes me feel such heartache and sadness when I hear it. I can feel the hopelessness.
Kudos to Andy Hull and Robert McDowell for creating a pretty rendition of "Cotton Eye Joe". I am quite fortunate that the original song never pops into my head, so I can thoroughly enjoy Hull and McDowell's version.
I wish there was a lyric sheet for "River Rocket". The little snippets I hear clearly sounds like something I want to really listen to. I want to sing it. Here are some of the lyrics I hear:
"Heartless... how are you heartless? I saw your sadness... and made it my own."
"We've gotta depend on each other to function..."
"I wanna climb in your brain... devour the [xxx?] and opinions..."
"Distill the fear and the shame..."
"We just have to remember that we're all here for a purpose in the end."
"Everything everywhere matters to everything."
"Liar" makes me feel such heartache and sadness when I hear it. I can feel the hopelessness.
Kudos to Andy Hull and Robert McDowell for creating a pretty rendition of "Cotton Eye Joe". I am quite fortunate that the original song never pops into my head, so I can thoroughly enjoy Hull and McDowell's version.
SOME INTERPRETATIONS/MESSAGES
So... I must admit. When I first watched the movie, I saw it mainly as two individuals developing a close, accepting friendship. And no matter what anybody else thinks, what matters is that there is somebody out there who accepts them just as they are. It wasn't until I went online and read the following YouTube comments that something else clicked.
If you can't read the text, here are the key lines:
"I was 80% sure Manny and Hank were in love."
"Nah, Hank falls in love with himself."
When I read that line -- "Hank falls in love with himself" -- it was like the world opened up and I was seeing another side of the movie completely -- a side that really touches my core (and of course brings me to tears, haaa... ^^). Every time Hank accepts Manny, Hank is accepting more of himself... the side of himself that he thinks is weird and would be rejected upon the eyes of society or just upon the eyes of others. It's... just so beautiful, and something I can really relate to. It's... inspiring. ^^
There is also the interpretation that Hank was conversing with himself the whole time, that Manny wasn't alive at all. For my own sake, I'm going to believe that Manny is real. I want to believe that another entity is capable of looking at somebody else and accepting them fully. Also, I just really love Manny's character so I want him to be his own, with his own thoughts and feelings.
There are many more thoughts the movie expresses, like not being afraid to be weird (I feel very strongly about this -- hence why I am so weird, lol), but I covered the main ones I wanted to talk about.
If you read my spoiler-filled thoughts, thank you so much for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. If you disagree with anything or just want to say something, feel free to comment :D
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