tomelce's Review

Summary - Barely OK 2.0

Positioned somewhere between the narrative sensibilities of 2004’s MEAN GIRLS and 2008’s SYDNEY WHITE is Fred Wolf’s sophomore film THE HOUSE BUNNY, a flimsy feel-nice flick that encourages us to believe that “mean is mean” and Anna Faris is hot. No new information there, but such is consistent with the remainder of Wolf’s film – a motion picture that proves the general witlessness of his debut film, the terrible STRANGE WILDERNESS, wasn’t unlucky. Though there’s a rythm to the film, there’s no human insight above the cute. Anna Faris’s faux-adorable ditz spruces up the appearance and social lives of a misfit sorority following her removal from former abode the Playboy mansion, leading to some drastic changes in their character and hers that leave both parties to do the kind of ham-fisted moralising and mirror gazes you’d expect from hack screenwriters. Unwittingly (can she function any other way?), Faris’s Shelley turns the gaggle of outcasts – in need of pledges to prevent shutdown from their campus – into the type of vain nitwits they previously abhorred, while Shelley finds herself reevaluating her life goals (previously to be a centerfold). Fill in the rest for yourselves there, needless to say THE HOUSE BUNNY consistently follows twee predictability, leaving one longing for the previously invoked MEAN GIRLS, which was far more illuminating of its characters (dum or clever) than Wolf seems to have the ability to be. Anna Faris has made all the faulty Scary Movie films better, but she’s working against a brick wall here. She looks great in all her misogynistically-inspired outfits and nails the cute dip routine once more, but THE HOUSE BUNNY’s still a sucky movie constantly bankrupt of realism and betraying only the most sporadic appearances of intelligence. It’s smoothly produced garbage.

Acting - Good 3.0

Faris makes for an endearing lead as Shelley, perfectly playing the film’s climactic speech even when it limits her from the start. She’s naturally the standout in a cast whose supporting players, as in Sydney White, mug relentlessly. Of them, none make an impression beyond their appearance.

Film - OK 2.5

The movie’s cinematography is always welcoming, while the frequent sight of scantily-clad hotties satisfy on a perv’s level, but there’s no more standout imagery here than there is an imaginative song choice or convincing exchange of dialogue. The less said about character continuity the better – THE HOUSE BUNNY loses its way spectacularly there.

Edge - Tame 1.5

Reality - Glib 1.5

2 Comments

• tomelce Nov 30, 2009 2:06PM

  And that’s the thing- you don’t need this movie to know this stuff. So even when its pacing is pretty winning, the whole film’s so useless.

• Wick Nov 28, 2009 6:34PM

  Regarding tomelce’s Review
  “mean is mean and Anna Faris is hot.” Good one Tom.

  Observe & Report was the first I’d seen of her. While that was a good movie, I’m not surprised that she’s the best thing in bad movies like this.

• Feed
• Movies
• ViewLists
• NewOnDemand