Swiss Army Man
Short description
Hank is a desperate man stranded alone in the wilderness of a deserted island. Having lost hope of rescue, his situation changes when a corpse washes ashore. Hank forms an unusual friendship with the body, whom he names Manny. Discovering that the corpse possesses surreal, multifunctional capabilities, Hank uses his new companion to survive the harsh environment and embark on a journey to return home to the woman he loves.
This 2016 adventure comedy was co-directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, who also wrote the screenplay. It follows their 2010 project Happy Holidays and precedes other works such as The Death of Dick Long and Everything Everywhere All at Once. The film stars Paul Dano as Hank and Daniel Radcliffe as Manny, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead also appearing in the cast.
Produced by companies including BlackBird and Astrakan Films AB, the movie had a budget of 3 million USD and earned 5 million USD at the worldwide box office. It has received a consistent reception across different groups, holding a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb from 140,000 votes and a 6.9/10 rating on TMDB from 3,922 votes. Film critics provided an identical score of 6.9/10 based on 209 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- As part of the promotional campaign, Daniel Radcliffe traveled to Los Angeles and New York with the Manny doll, giving interviews, attending fan gatherings, and even riding amusement park attractions.
- In the scene where Hank and Manny fly out of the water, a fake butt was used, and real stunt performers flew out of the water at a speed of around 30 km/h. In the final shot of the scene, Radcliffe’s real butt is briefly shown.
- Moments where it was noticeable that Daniel Radcliffe was breathing and blinking were "cleaned up" using computer technology.
- All the songs featured in the film are performed a cappella. They were written by Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra and Robert McDowell.
- Some scenes from the film were shot in the forests near one of the bays in San Mateo County, California.
- Several scenes from the film were shot among the redwoods in Humboldt County and near Eureka, California.
- The scene where Paul Dano's character rejoices at discovering a package of cheese sticks is a reference to a commercial where a polar explorer experiences and displays similar emotions in similar circumstances.
- Not only both directors, but also the lead actor (Radcliffe) share similar names – Daniel/Dan.
- The literary translation of the title into Russian is "Multifunctional Person".
- Paul Dano said in an interview that he wanted to star in this film after hearing a brief summary of the plot from directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, which sounded like this: "After the first fart, you want to laugh, and after the last – to cry."
- Towards the end of the film, the fart heard by the little girl belongs to one of the producers, who recorded it.
- The filmmakers couldn't afford to close the beach for filming, so there was always a crowd of onlookers eager to know if it was indeed Daniel Radcliffe, and what he was doing there. They were told that a mayonnaise commercial was being filmed, but the onlookers didn't believe them.
- Paul Dano's character is named Hank Thompson. This is a reference to Tom Hanks, who starred in Robert Zemeckis's drama "Cast Away" (2000), whose protagonist found himself on a deserted island.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
