Swiss Army Man

"We all need some body to lean on."

2016 1h 37m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 3,937

ComedyDramaRomanceFantasyAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Alone on a tiny deserted island, Hank has given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a dead body washes ashore, and he soon realizes it may be his last opportunity to escape certain death. Armed with his new “friend” and an unusual bag of tricks, the duo go on an epic adventure to bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.

“We all need some body to lean on.”

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Cast

Paul Dano
Hank
Daniel Radcliffe
Manny
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Sarah
Antonia Ribero
Crissie
Timothy Eulich
Preston
Richard Gross
Hank's Dad
Marika Casteel
Reporter
Andy Hull
Cameraman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Kwan
Writers: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Kwan, shot by Larkin Seiple. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andy Hull. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Matthew Hannam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We all need some body to lean on.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4034354 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Kwan directs. Larkin Seiple behind the camera. Andy Hull scores. Matthew Hannam cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Directed by Daniel Kwan, shot by Larkin Seiple. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Andy Hull. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Matthew Hannam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "We all need some body to lean on.".
8IMDB entry: tt4034354 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "beach", "friends", "survival", "dead body".

The technical file

Cinematography: Larkin Seiple
Original score: Andy Hull
Editing: Matthew Hannam
Production design: Jason Kisvarday
Costume design: Stephani Lewis
Makeup / hair: Jason Hamer
Stunt coordinator: Timothy Eulich
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $5,800,000
Return: 193% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Swiss Army Man (2016)

Awards

Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award
Sundance U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Daniel Kwan

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2016-11-04
★ 5/10
Two strangers in an unusual circumstance take a weirdest journey. My initial thought was this is a new version of 'Weekend at Bernie's', but very soon I realised it is not. This film is a bit disgusting. Watching alone makes okay or with the close buddies, but not good for beyond that. I totally appreciate the effort and obviously the fresh idea for a film from the Hollywood, but the film is not a masterpiece or entertaining. Because a plot like this is not worth for a 90 minute stretch. It should have been a short film or the story should have developed to a better one. There are lots of questions regarding the film. The film did not detail everything it showed, so that's the first negative about it. It opened with a young man stranded on a tiny island who tries to commit suicide, but abandons the plan and takes a weirdest ride in the sea seeking land to get rescued by its people. Though he's not alone, a strange young man accompanies him. So it's like theirs journey of self-discovery, but how it all ends is the crucial final segment. Both the young actors were good in theirs very challenging roles, particularly Daniel Radcliffe. The directors too to be praised for managing to pull it off so well. But it was the screenplay that did not deliver as I anticipated. The film was different, but nothing impressive at all, so I think it is good for watching at once. Maybe if I understand or get the answers for my doubts, I might change might stance. For now this is an average film. 5/10
r96sk2025-04-15
★ 9/10
<em>'Swiss Army Man'</em> is bonkers, but then I expected it to be so having seen this directing duo's most recent flick; 2022's <em>'Everything Everywhere All at Once'</em>. It does, at least to me, feel a little thin in parts, though it all ends up coming together nicely. I only knew that Daniel Radcliffe was in this, Paul Dano was not someone I was expecting to see make an appearance. The casting is great though, both of them are excellent all the way through. At no point was I wishing to see any other characters, those two are perfectly enough. A movie that makes fart jokes work - if that's not the best compliment to receive, then I don't know what is. It's absurd, but fantastically so. Oh, and its got neat music, love "A Better Way".