Random Mexican’s Movie Reviews

Sunday, August 24, 2008
Movie Reviews: THE HOUSE BUNNY
IN THEATERS





THE HOUSE BUNNY








Sexpot Shelley Darlington (Anna Faris) lives comfortably at the Playboy Mansion, until a jealous rival gets her tossed out on her tail. With nowhere else to go, she winds up at Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority. The seven socially inept Zetas will lose their house unless they can attract more pledges; to do that; they need to learn the ways of makeup and men from an expert.




Cast: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Dana Min Goodman




Director: Fred Wolf




Opened August 22, 2008




Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min.




Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language




Genres: Comedy




Review:




Predictable, clichéd and sometimes kind funny The House Bunny doesn't break any new ground in familiar territory but it does a decent job of not making the entire enterprise feel monotonous. Scripted by Legally Blonde scribes Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, The House Bunny does have some inspired moments particular when the surprisingly effective ensemble cast delivers some truly funny dialogue. I've always been a fan of Anna Faris and here she delivers a great turn as Shelley, giving her an endearing brand of naiveté. Faris starts off slowly but has some solid moments throughout even if all the jokes don't find the mark. The cast of all too familiar misfits is headlined by Emma Stone (Superbad) who shows some good comedic chops and excellent timing. Kat Dennings (The 40 Year Old Virgin) also delivers an equally solid performance as the Zeta's resident feminist. Katharine McPhee has a supporting role and as I'm not an American Idol zealot it took me until the end of the film, via a shoehorned musical number during the credits, to recognize her. Regardless, McPhee does come across as very naturalist and comfortable in front of the camera even with an unexplained pregnancy. Fred Wolf sophomore directorial effort is quickly paced and never lingers on anything too much even if there are one too many montages in the film and overly Pop centric soundtrack. At times The House Bunny does feel like it could go into slightly more satirical ground but it never does, a real shame as it might have made it feel less familiar. As a whole it does seem like an estrogen filled bastard child of Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds. It provides some good laughs but you won't be surprised by anything that occurs.




C+