08.30.08
Review: “The House Bunny”
“Being a centerfold is the highest and most prestigious honor there is,” “It says, ‘I’m naked in the middle of a magazine. Unfold me!’”
Anna Faris is comic gold, and that is common knowledge for some by now. For those who haven’t not already succumbed to her charms, those who obviously have not seen “Smiley Face,” the “Scary Movie” franchise, or her semi-serious albeit slight roles in “Brokeback Mountain” and “Lost in Translation,” meet “The House Bunny.” Ms. Faris slaps on pair after pair of sky-high stilettos and the skimpiest of outfits for her role as Shelley Darlingson – a Playboy Bunny with all the trimmings but whose age gets her kicked out of the mansion and thrown head first into her old life (she’s 27, which is 59 in Bunny years). She used to be an ugly duckling orphan, but now she couldn’t be more different. However, before the harshness of reality rears its ugly head, Shelley struts her way into a “misfit” sorority and has the chance to change more than a few lives, instead of simply beautifying them.
Zeta Alpha Zeta, said sisterhood sorority, is home to a clan of nonconformists and is about to be shut down due to a lack of pledges. None of which is surprising. As a result of her wide-eyed optimism and a passionate understanding of their woes, Shelley makes it her mission to adopt the girls by becoming their housemother come life therapist. After carrying out a predictable makeover of monumental proportions of the girls (played to comic perfection by Dana Goodman, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, Katharine McPhee etc), they go from being down and out losers to the hot and happening members of Shelley’s “Sisterhood of the Teeny-Tiny Pants.”
Of course the fluffy farce comes with a message, as do so many films that aim for a tween female demographic, albeit a confusing one. Although Shelley has always relied on the tricks of being gorgeous to get everything she ever wanted, and graciously spreads her insight to anyone who will listen, it is only after she falls head over heals for Oliver (Colin Hanks) that she realises the importance of inner beauty as well. Her “made over” sorority girls knew this all along, but could never show it in the correct way but when they become hotter, more judgemental versions of their true selves, they blame it on Shelley for a while.
This is the same as the typical of the mentality of young girls and how their parents react to their precious children trying to relate to their Hollywood idols. The only difference between the reality of always having to model one’s self after an unreal God-like model and how such matters are handled in this film is that the girls in the film at least realise the banality following Shelley’s advice word for word. All the really ever needed to do was find the perfect way to be who they really are minus the repelling attitudes and narrow-minded outlooks on life in general. Because there is a difference between self-improvement and the superficiality of self-importance.
Anna Faris has a ball with the large amount of one-liners she’s given, written by the “Legally Blonde” scribes Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and that gives us the permission to enjoy them too. Her cutthroat timing, where almost every word that comes out of her mouth is a punch line, is a classic example of comic excellence that is so rare in cinema today. Any lesser of an actress would crumble under the pressure of having to hold the entire film on their shoulders, even if the film is paper-thin. Her role is once again a send-up of the dumb blonde archetype, which she plays so well, but it is also something of a throwback to the classic female comic roles of the past, played by the likes of Goldie Hawn and Judy Holliday, those performed with poised dizziness and a dash or two of identifiable depth. When, not if, she gets a sizeable, challenging role, we all need to brace ourselves for the cinematic fireworks that will result.
What is more impressive is that her cast mates seem to almost, emphasis is needed on the “almost,” keep up with her. Dana Goodman plays the hunchbacked Idaho resident who has managed to stay in school for nine years so that she wouldn’t have to go back home. Hearing her say “can you point me to the crapper? I have to drop some timber” made me laugh so hard I almost fell into the lap of the film critic sitting next to me. She is quite possibly the most entertaining of the misfits, not forgetting Emma Stone, last seen in “The Rocker,” whose inexperience with anything that does not have to do with “topics” is endearing, awkward and at all times hilarious.
“The House Bunny” may not be on the same level as Anna Faris’ luminous performance in terms of overall excellence, but it is a warm, uplifting and intelligent comedy about the triviality of the levels we go to in life in order to be accepted and, most of all, sought after romantic commodities. Without reinventing much, the film is a duly noted makeover of familiar female-empowerment themes and the importance of self-acceptance that features some of the funniest moments in a film this year, handled with finesse and zest by Anna “Soon-To-Be-A-Superstar” Faris and her chorus of adopted up-and-comers.
Fatac Rating: ***
The House Bunny. Directed by Fred Wolf. Written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. Cinematography by Shelly Johnson. Costumes by Mona May. Editing by Debra Chiate. Starring: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Christopher McDonald, Beverly D’Angelo, Sarah Wright, Hugh Hefner, Dana Goodman, Rumer Willis and Katherine McPhee. Running Time: 98 minutes. Age Restriction: PG-13. Year: 2008. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. [C]
Dave said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I skipped this, but seeing as there are no good releases this week in the US, I might just see it based on your assessment of it. Nice one.
Jeff said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Anna Faris is the hottest comedian alive right now. Her and Tina Fey, to be fair. I gotta see this.
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Thanks Dave, why don’t you and Jeff make a date of it…..?
Jeff said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny man.
Salmaya said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I really loved this, but I heard that Faris wanted the film to be a lot darker than it turned out to be – and I think that would have made for a better movie overall. What do you think Nick?
Darren said,
August 30, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Smiley Face is possibly the worst film I’ve seen in years. It was absolutely excruciating to sit through and the talented people involved just made it even worse.
That said, I still generally dig Anna. She just hasn’t found the right projects for her yet.
Pat said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Nick – I loved Anna Faris in “Lost in Translation” so I’m sure I will get around to seeing this before long.
BTW- you’ve been tagged!! See the “OTHER” 12-Movie Meme rules here:
http://cinemafist.blogspot.com/2008/08/another-12-movies-meme-fest-o-rama.html
Kerry said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I agree with Darren, although I did like The House Bunny a bit. Just a bit.
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Darren, “Smiley Face” was by no means a good movie, but Faris was amazing. For real.
Darren said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I’ve never wanted a character to die as much as I did while watching her in Smiley. *shudder*
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Hahahahahaha, shame man! I honestly thought that she made the film worth watching, and I kinda liked her character.
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Sorry Pat, you somehow got stuck in the spam filter, ugh.
Thanks for the tag, this one looks really interesting, I’ll see what I can do ;)
Justin said,
August 30, 2008 at 7:56 pm
“Shelley’s “Sisterhood of the Teeny-Tiny Pants.””
Funny much?
This opens in September, and you know what? I actually might see it. I didn’t want to before.
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 10:14 pm
You should give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. It won’t bowl you over, but Faris is delightfully bubbly. You cannot help but fall in love with her (all over again).
Kerry said,
August 30, 2008 at 10:40 pm
She is adorable, and like you say, I cannot wait for her to get a film that is perfect for her
K. Bowen said,
August 31, 2008 at 1:33 am
You just think she’s hot, teenager! :)
J.D. said,
August 31, 2008 at 4:42 am
Smiley Face WOULD be horrible… if it weren’t for La Anna.
And Nick, you hit the nail on the head for a lot of what I felt. Typical. :)
Nick Plowman said,
August 31, 2008 at 7:25 am
K, that, and ,um, I really like her talent ;)
JD, my thoughts exactly, “Smiley Face” was not that bad, but it was all because of Anna. She saved the film for sure.
David H. Schleicher said,
September 1, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I’ve loved Anna Farris ever since “Lost in Translation.” She was such a little scene-stealer, and her comic timing in far lesser films (the “Scary Movie” franchise) is in a league of its own. It’s a shame smoking-hot funny gals often get a slim choice of roles in Hollywood. I haven’t seen this as it seems so silly (but it’s in my Netflix queue based only on my love of Anna), and I hope Ms. Farris gets a shot at some material in the future that is more worthy of her immense talent.
Nick Plowman said,
September 2, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I think she will, Hollywood owes her. She’s smart enough to know that if she plays her cards right, she’ll make the big time and get a role that is tailored to suit her without making her resort to playing a similar role.
Craig Kennedy said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Well I disagree with Darren’s take on Smiley Face. The first 20 minutes or so I laughed a lot and then it ran out of gas, but I never hated it. It was certainly funnier than Step Brothers or Pineapple Express….but then as I’m fond of saying comedy is subjective. Regardless, Farris did a great job and her involvement ALMOST got me to sneak in to House Bunny yesterday. I picked Hamlet 2 instead which is the subject of a different thread.
Jerry said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I still need to see Hamlet 2, ugh. What a screwed up release for that
Nick Plowman said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I cannot wait for Hamlet 2, I’d see that instead of House Bunny any day.
I didn’t hate hate Smiley Face either, just didn’t think it was all that great – which was what I was expecting, same with Pineapple Express.
Faris is, I will never stop saying it, God.
J.D. said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I said she was God first, Nick. :P
Nick Plowman said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Yes you did. And you called the randomness of it’s soundtrack when no one else did. You rock.
J.D. said,
September 2, 2008 at 7:55 pm
YOU rock! You know I don’t. Come on. (*giggles*)
Friedl said,
September 3, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Good review, nick, I totally did not want to see this film or bother to read any reviews about it.
I still don’t want to see the film, but I did read the full review & now will read more if I encounter them, to see if your opinion is shared.
Still sounds like a terrible film. Don’t think I can sit through another Legally Blonde. Don’t get the whole Anna Farris thing. Good job on spreading the enthusiasm, though..
ashlee said,
October 10, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Im going to see this it sound Fab!