Three or four years ago, this film might have been regarded as a clever satire of kiddie programming such as Barney and Teletubbies. Unfortunately for director Danny De Vito, his latest attempt at dark comedy, “Death to Smoochy,” arrives with far too little and much too late.De Vito is a capable director with a talent for comedy, but this movie fails to showcase that talent.The film begins on the set of a popular children’s show starring the eccentric Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) and half a dozen midgets in silly garb.Off camera, Randolph is a foppish drunk with little or no regard for the kids on his show. When an undercover sting operation exposes Randolph for taking bribes, his show is cancelled.Television executives Nora Wells (Catherine Keener) and Frank Stokes (Jon Stewart) are now stuck with finding Randolph’s replacement.That replacement comes in the form of Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton), a certifiable nice guy who doesn’t even know the meaning of the word controversy. Sheldon now has his own show starring his alter ego, Smoochy the Rhino.Soon after the show debuts, Randolph snaps and begins doing anything and everything to destroy Smoochy’s image. His horrible tactics include sneaking phallic-shaped cookies on the show and booking Smoochy as the entertainment for a neo-nazi convention.When Randolph realizes that Smoochy’s image cannot be tarnished, he decides that it’s hunting season for the big rhino.Robin Williams certainly gets plenty of mileage doing the insane bit over and over. Normally his goof-ball act can be very amusing, but in this movie, he just spouts four letter words constantly to come off as funny.Word to the wise: four-letter words are not funny when simply spoken; they need a context and slick delivery like any good joke.Keener’s performance is OK, but it’s identical to her tough-nosed and callous character from “Being John Malkovich.” As for Jon Stewart, his comedic talents are squandered yet again as a lame background character with a hair cut that resembles that of an early Jerry Lewis.The only bright spot in this entire film comes from Norton. Anybody with the guts to walk around in an asinine purple get-up deserves some applause. Plus, the movie showcases Norton’s ability to play the guitar, albeit briefly.One of the movie’s few funny sequences involves Smoochy singing to the children his big hit, “My Stepdad’s Not Bad, He’s Just Adjusting.”Toss in some always hilarious jokes about the Irish and that’s about the only laughs coming out of “Death to Smoochy,” a film that should be buried alive in the middle of the desert.