At long last, the rest of the world will get a taste of the majesty that is Swiss Army Man. You know, Swiss Army Man? The Paul Dano/Daniel Radcliffe “fart drama” that is secretly one of the sweetest, funniest, and tenderest examinations of love and friendship in recent memory? The one where wildly inaccurate reports of mass walk-outs at Sundance made headlines? The movie where Daniel Radcliffe’s lifeless corpse is used as a farting jet ski to flee a desert island? Right, right, that movie. Well now you can take a peek for yourself at what all the fuss was about because, on Monday, A24 released a trailer for the Sundance darling, and it is a frenetic, upbeat appetizer to the film’s main course.
The film’s tagline is, in and of itself, rather cheeky: “There are 7 billion people on the planet. You might be lucky enough to bump into the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with.” In this case, it is a hopeless young man named Hank (Paul Dano), who considers suicide while marooned on a desert island. Before he can do the deed, though, a corpse washes up on the beach. This corpse, later named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), isn’t just some poor bastard who fell off a Carnival cruise; rather, as you see in the trailer, he is a literal Swiss Army Man, a man whose body can be used like a morbid Swiss Army Knife, capable of creating water, serving as a grappling hook, and, yes, being a fart-powered jet ski, to name a few.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island, having given up all hope of ever making it home again.  But one day everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore; the two become fast friends, and ultimately go on an epic adventure that will bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.”
As I mentioned in my review of the film, which I loved, this is not a movie for everyone. You will more than likely utter the words “what the actual fuck” upwards of three times, both audibly and inaudibly, while watching it. But once you get past the spectacle and the sophomoric sense of humor, there is a profoundly worthwhile story underneath, anchored by great gung-ho performances from Radcliffe and Dano. Also worthy of accolade, and previewed in this trailer, is the tremendous original score by Manchester Orchestra. Trust me when I say the music will stay with you long after the credits roll.
Written and directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Swiss Army Man hits theaters this summer. You can read our Sundance review here.
What do you think of the Swiss Army Man trailer? Let us know in the comments below.
—
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter and ask him about his corpse’s myriad uses (@Osteoferocious).
