Editing Death to Smoochy (section)

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Death to Smoochy'' holds an approval rating of 42%, based on 119 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus states: "The talent involved can't save a script that has nowhere to go with its promising premise."<ref>{{cite web |date= 29 March 2002 |title= Death to Smoochy |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_to_smoochy/ |publisher= [[Fandango Media]] |access-date= September 12, 2022 |archive-date= July 29, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220729092102/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_to_smoochy |url-status= live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 38 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/death-to-smoochy|title=Death to Smoochy|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=31 January 2016|archive-date=September 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905085559/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/death-to-smoochy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C" on a scale of A+ to F.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://m.cinemascore.com/|title=CinemaScore|publisher=cinemascore.com|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214005119/https://m.cinemascore.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of ''[[Chicago Sun-Times|The Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film an extremely negative review (giving it half a star out of four), saying, "Only enormously talented people could have made ''Death to Smoochy''. Those with lesser gifts would have lacked the nerve to make a film so bad, so miscalculated, so lacking any connection with any possible audience. To make a film this awful, you have to have enormous ambition and confidence, and dream big dreams." He named the film the Worst of the Year.<ref>{{cite news |author-link=Roger Ebert |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=2002-03-29 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/death-to-smoochy-2002 |title="''Death to Smoochy''" (film review). |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=2013-04-05 |via=RogerEbert.com |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020015708/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/death-to-smoochy-2002 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' also gave the film a negative review, saying that it "pushes its dark, smart, clever, cynical, satirical, nasty, provocative and sarcastic instincts to the point of heavily diminished returns—to the point where the very amusing premise just isn't funny anymore."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/death-to-smoochy-1200550771/|title=Death to Smoochy|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|website=Variety.com|date=17 March 2002|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128083422/https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/death-to-smoochy-1200550771/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' wrote, "This black-comic assault on family entertainment is going to set a lot of teeth on edge—If only his [DeVito's] material were better this time."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/death-to-smoochy-118150/|title=Death To Smoochy|first=Peter|last=Travers|website=Rollingstone.com|date=29 March 2002|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128083416/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/death-to-smoochy-118150/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Conversely, [[J. Hoberman]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' praised the film, saying, "''Death to Smoochy'' is often very funny, but what's even more remarkable is the integrity of DeVito's misanthropic vision."<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoberman |first=Jim |author-link=J. Hoberman |title=Houses of Mirth |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-04-02/film/houses-of-mirth/1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121020125/http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-04-02/film/houses-of-mirth/1 |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=2002-04-02 |archive-date=2010-01-21 |access-date=2009-05-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[David Sterritt]] of ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' called the film a "razor-sharp satire" and "the most refreshingly outrageous movie of the season".<ref>{{cite web | date = March 29, 2002 | author = David Sterritt | work = [[The Christian Science Monitor]] | title = Williams sheds his 'cute' side | url = https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0329/p15s02-almo.html | access-date = January 28, 2019 | archive-date = January 28, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190128083102/https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0329/p15s02-almo.html | url-status = live }}</ref>