10 Brilliant Movies With A Terrible Concept
4. Swiss Army Man
The Concept: Swiss Army Man is about Paul Dano trekking his way through the wilderness with the aid of a rotting, flatulent corpse, played by Daniel Radcliffe.
The inherent silliness of that idea is readily apparent, as is the fact that this seems like another quirky indie drama that's quirky for the sake of being quirky. How can we take Swiss Army Man seriously when its USP is "dead Harry Potter letting them rip for 90 minutes"?
The Movie: While it's easy to laugh at Swiss Army Man's farting corpse for a good few minutes, it's also easy to appreciate how much meaning there is behind every single decision the filmmakers made while crafting this movie.
Radcliffe's character essentially represents how open Dano's character wishes he could be. Throughout the movie, Radcliffe talks about showing his dream girl Sarah how much he loves her, something Dano wishes he could do. Radcliffe also isn't afraid to fart in front of other people, something Dano condemns. The gas has meaning!
Ultimately, Swiss Army Man is telling you to open up, and to not be afraid of who you are and what you feel - it's a great message conveyed in a beautifully unorthodox manner.