YMMV / Swiss Army Man

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • As mentioned under Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane, there's little proof that Manny is actually a sentient corpse with unusual powers or if Hank is just delusional from starvation and isolation. Even the ending, where Manny fart-propels himself back out into the ocean with all of the onlookers, is never stated to be real or imagined.
  • The fact that Manny hasn't decomposed at all, even after several days, bring a fair amount of credibility to the magic side.
  • There exists a surprisingly credible theory that Hank is a trans woman, which her role-playing with Manny help her come to terms with.
• Audience-Alienating Premise: The movie is about a man stranded on an island who discovers another man washing up on shore as a farting, talking corpse he nicknames Manny. This premise already drew ire from moviegoers who disliked Black Comedy and Vulgar Humor, and Daniel Radcliffe's star power was not enough to salvage what appeared to be a bizarre absurdist comedy. Of course, the fact that the Daniels' next film was a huge breakout success makes it a little easier to recommend this one.
• Awesome Music: The one thing everyone agrees on about the film is that the largely a capella soundtrack is gorgeous. It's the kind of film and the kind of soundtrack to take a Running Gag about Hank's hatred of "Cotton Eye Joe" and turn it into a genuinely beautiful Leitmotif. Not to mention that Daniel Radcliffe can sing.
  • "All we ever needed was a mooooontaaaaaaage!"
  • "A Better Way" ends the film on a quiet and haunting note.
  • If you didn't think a dead guy using his own farts as a rocket could make you tear up, you do now.
• Crosses the Line Twice: The plot is at best so absurd and insane it commits this trope.
• Ending Fatigue: After Hank and Manny make it out of the woods, the film continues for around 15-20 minutes, with various points that it could have possibly ended at.
• Heartwarming Moments: The underwater kiss. Necrophilia has never been so heartwarming!
• He Really Can Act: Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano have proven that they can sing well for the film's soundtrack.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Both the directors of the film and its lead actor would both have moments where they randomly sing "Ave Maria" in films released in 2022: Dano's Riddler sings it in The Batman (2022), and DANIELS had a scene where a jumper sings it in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
• Ho Yay: Plenty between Hank and Manny, some of which includes Hank dressing up as a women in order to make Manny remember Sarah, the fact that Manny hallucinates Hank in that position, and the kiss of life between them that propels them both out of the lake.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Seeing Harry Potter play a farting corpse was the draw for a lot of viewers
• Tear Jerker: A surprising amount for such a bizarre film, but there are a few.
  • The scene on the "bus" jumps between this and comedy.
  • Manny discovering that Hank had been lying to him about Sarah the whole time. Also Manny crying for the first time.
  • Manny "dying" after he scares Sarah's daughter.
    • "Please don't tell Sarah how much I loved her."
  • A subtle one, but Manny being implied to be a bridge jumper is heartbreaking.
• The Woobie: Both main characters to an extent, but Manny takes the cake by the end. Turns out dying was only the beginning of his problems.

---