Anna Faris (left) as Shelley
Darlingson and Emma Stone as Natalie in Fred Wolf's comedy "The House Bunny",
which opened today in the U.S. and Canada. (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Sony
Pictures)
THE POPCORN REEL FILM
REVIEW/"The House Bunny"
Amidst A Sorority Survival Battle, Peroxide Panic In the Playboy Palace
By Omar P.L. Moore/August 22, 2008
Surprisingly funny and entertaining, "The House Bunny" (in theaters in North America today) grows on you not because it is a special kind of film but due to its ability to laugh at itself and the wondrous stupidity of its lead protagonist. Chiefly responsible for the appeal of "Bunny" and its infectious charm is Anna Faris, who in the title role deftly portrays stupid-is-as-stupid-does in the same fashion that Jessica Simpson does but without forcing sex appeal. Miss Faris, who plays an aspiring Playboy Magazine Centerfold named Shelley Darlingson, abruptly booted from La Chateau a Hefner, has played "bimbo" roles like this in the past but in smaller doses. Here, she allows for satirical renderings and flaunts with unfettered adoration stereotypes of blonde, perky and vapid, placing them up against a wall and riddling each with bullet-point humor. The bunny's malapropisms and awkward sentence structure is something she revels in, and un-self consciously.
Our bunny lands at the Zeta sorority where after an initial misunderstanding becomes the mentor and makeover queen to a group of young girls who look like they've been immersed in Bohemian, granola-loving, Berkeley-living lives since day one. Predictably it's an uneasy fit, but before too long thanks to the new lady in town these very sheltered ladies are screaming "hello world" with their transformation into . . . well, see for yourself.
Along the way "The House Bunny" (directed by Fred Wolf) features the standard a la carte of schemers and dreamers as well as some cameos -- you can probably guess who will make their acquaintance before too long -- but no one could guess that ESPN Sports cable television personalities Sean Salisbury and Dan Patrick (he'll be a member of the NBC Sports family as of next month) would be part of this colorful mix of joy and jocularity. Their appearances, especially Mr. Patrick's as a police officer, are curious to say the least. Perhaps when you realize that Adam Sandler was one of four producers on "Bunny" it is not completely a surprise, however. Mr. Sandler as an actor has been involved in the sports realm before with films ("Happy Madison", "The Waterboy") and the laugh rhythm of "Bunny" is akin to some of his own comic celluloid. Having said that, Ms. Faris stands proudly on her own here as an architect of cheer and derision. Rarely vulnerable unlike Mr. Sandler's onscreen personages she consistently throws caution to the wind and espouses confidence as Zeta's house bunny, even when everything goes wrong for her and her sorority sisters, who are looking to keep their sorority from being pole-axed from campus.
Amidst A Sorority Survival Battle, Peroxide Panic In the Playboy Palace
By Omar P.L. Moore/August 22, 2008
Surprisingly funny and entertaining, "The House Bunny" (in theaters in North America today) grows on you not because it is a special kind of film but due to its ability to laugh at itself and the wondrous stupidity of its lead protagonist. Chiefly responsible for the appeal of "Bunny" and its infectious charm is Anna Faris, who in the title role deftly portrays stupid-is-as-stupid-does in the same fashion that Jessica Simpson does but without forcing sex appeal. Miss Faris, who plays an aspiring Playboy Magazine Centerfold named Shelley Darlingson, abruptly booted from La Chateau a Hefner, has played "bimbo" roles like this in the past but in smaller doses. Here, she allows for satirical renderings and flaunts with unfettered adoration stereotypes of blonde, perky and vapid, placing them up against a wall and riddling each with bullet-point humor. The bunny's malapropisms and awkward sentence structure is something she revels in, and un-self consciously.
Our bunny lands at the Zeta sorority where after an initial misunderstanding becomes the mentor and makeover queen to a group of young girls who look like they've been immersed in Bohemian, granola-loving, Berkeley-living lives since day one. Predictably it's an uneasy fit, but before too long thanks to the new lady in town these very sheltered ladies are screaming "hello world" with their transformation into . . . well, see for yourself.
Along the way "The House Bunny" (directed by Fred Wolf) features the standard a la carte of schemers and dreamers as well as some cameos -- you can probably guess who will make their acquaintance before too long -- but no one could guess that ESPN Sports cable television personalities Sean Salisbury and Dan Patrick (he'll be a member of the NBC Sports family as of next month) would be part of this colorful mix of joy and jocularity. Their appearances, especially Mr. Patrick's as a police officer, are curious to say the least. Perhaps when you realize that Adam Sandler was one of four producers on "Bunny" it is not completely a surprise, however. Mr. Sandler as an actor has been involved in the sports realm before with films ("Happy Madison", "The Waterboy") and the laugh rhythm of "Bunny" is akin to some of his own comic celluloid. Having said that, Ms. Faris stands proudly on her own here as an architect of cheer and derision. Rarely vulnerable unlike Mr. Sandler's onscreen personages she consistently throws caution to the wind and espouses confidence as Zeta's house bunny, even when everything goes wrong for her and her sorority sisters, who are looking to keep their sorority from being pole-axed from campus.
Emma Stone (who looks so much like
Lindsay Lohan or Miss Lohan's younger sister that for much of "Bunny" right
through until the end I thought that one of the Lohans was playing the role
of Natalie,) does well here, transforming her nerdy, buttoned-down character
into an assertive yet self-lampooning lily. Miss Stone, who can also
currently be seen on the big screen in "The Rocker" (which opened just two
days ago in the U.S. and Canada), adds a nice touch here. As Natalie, Miss
Stone possesses both a serious demeanor and inner comedic demon that
threatens to bust loose before yanked from the precipice of a cliff.
Although Miss Faris is the reason to invest in this lively comedy of
peroxide panic, the most pleasant surprise of all is Miss Stone, who goes
from playing a moody, toned-low band member in "The Rocker" to igniting a
flame that flickers within here as Natalie.
Beverly D'Angelo and Christopher McDonald have small roles as school sorority administrative board members, while Colin Hanks has an impressive twenty minutes or so on the stage as Oliver, the object of the house bunny's affections. Mr. Hanks, aside from playing an all-around decent young fellow here, looks more and more like his father each day, carrying the same earnestness, integrity and mild-mannered disposition that Hanks Senior brings to many of his roles. Again, it was only late into this film that I realized Colin Hanks played the role. Maybe this is a tribute to plain and simple oversight, decent acting or just that the film was such a delight that I didn't have time or inclination to notice its flaws and faults.
Well, that's almost all true.
Anyone looking for a masterpiece when watching this film may have to lower their expectations but not their intelligence. Actually, to enjoy "The House Bunny" one needn't do either -- just enjoy what this nutty nirvana of a story written by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith has to offer.
With: Rumer Willis, Kat Dennings, Monet Mazur and a whole host of others.
"The House Bunny" is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language. The film's duration is one hour and 37 minutes.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Beverly D'Angelo and Christopher McDonald have small roles as school sorority administrative board members, while Colin Hanks has an impressive twenty minutes or so on the stage as Oliver, the object of the house bunny's affections. Mr. Hanks, aside from playing an all-around decent young fellow here, looks more and more like his father each day, carrying the same earnestness, integrity and mild-mannered disposition that Hanks Senior brings to many of his roles. Again, it was only late into this film that I realized Colin Hanks played the role. Maybe this is a tribute to plain and simple oversight, decent acting or just that the film was such a delight that I didn't have time or inclination to notice its flaws and faults.
Well, that's almost all true.
Anyone looking for a masterpiece when watching this film may have to lower their expectations but not their intelligence. Actually, to enjoy "The House Bunny" one needn't do either -- just enjoy what this nutty nirvana of a story written by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith has to offer.
With: Rumer Willis, Kat Dennings, Monet Mazur and a whole host of others.
"The House Bunny" is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language. The film's duration is one hour and 37 minutes.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2008. All Rights Reserved.