House BunnyDirected by: Fred Wolf Cast: Anna Faris, Emma Stone, Colin Hanks and Katherine McPhee Time: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: PG-13
Plot: Shelly (Faris), a Playboy bunny, is kicked out of the mansion and forced to look for work. She stumbles upon the Zeta Alpha Zeta house with seven members full of odd quirks and they are about to lose their house. Shelly and her feminine ways attempts to save the day, but the girls from Phi Iota Mu are trying to stop them.
Who’s It For? Guys, don't be fooled. This isn't just for the girls, there is quality humor plus there is tons of eye candy of all varieties. And parents, a lot of the film is about using or accentuating sexuality, so keep that in mind if you are bringing the little ones.
Expectations: I was stunned when I chuckled a couple of times during the trailer. After all, I can't stand Legally Blonde and the likes of those films.
SCORECARD (1-10)
Actors: Anna Faris as Shelly Darlingson: Imagine an attractive, polite and funny Paris Hilton. Screw it, don't bother. Just think about Faris. Faris is constantly hilarious as Shelly. It's a perfect mix of being flighty and likable, which is a very tough balance. She doesn't make you groan with her ignorance. Whether she is learning peoples' names, or dropping lines like "I love having my mouth enveloped," you never grow tired of her performance. She is one of the funniest women in Hollywood. Score: 9
Emma Stone as Natalie: After a role in The Rocker where she smiled once, Stone is allowed to have fun again as a super nerd. What's great is, it's not the kind of nerd forced to be ugly or wear thick glasses ... OK, she does have thick glasses, but the point is, she's at her best when she's talking about party ideas like BYOM (bring your own mouse). Score: 8
Colin Hanks as Oliver: Let me be one of the few not to mention he's the son of Tom Hanks, oops, that didn't take long. Anyway, It's great to see Oliver never resorting to the basics of falling all over himself because Sherry's beautiful. He's a perfectly normal guy, which is exactly what the role needed. Score: 6
Rest of Cast: I'm sure others will appreciate Harmony (Katherine McPhee) more than me, simply because I had no idea she was from "American Idol." Now the singing makes sense. Her amusing part is the big pregnant belly. The other girls are an odd combination of short, big, and back braced (Rumer Willis). Odd cameos include Matt Leinart and Sean Salsbury, Hugh Hufner does his best not to look creepy and Dan Patrick plays another cop. Beverly D'Angelo and Christopher McDonald have some good moments. Phi Iota Mu girls are appropriately annoying. Score: 6
Talking: Lines like, "Dear Shelly ... wait, there's more!" work with Faris' fantastic delivery. And I expect this one to last a while, "The eyes are the nipples of the face." Trust me, it makes sense when Shelly's giving the other girls makeovers. Score: 7
Sights & Sounds: Again, there is tons of eye candy and some good tunes as well. "Be OK" by Ingrid Michaelson and "New Soul" by Yael Naim both fit well. I'm not a fan of the very end with the cast joining McPhee in singing a remake of "I Know What Boys Want." And they should have gone even bigger with the makeover training montage. Score: 6
OVERALL These are the same women who wrote Legally Blonde, yet it doesn't seem like a makeover at all, wait, makeovers are good. I guess I mean repeat. Faris proves herself worthy of playing an airhead blonde, she's a natural. Trust me, that's a compliment. At about the two-thirds mark the film starts to die off and seems too familiar. And at times it seems really hard to find the message of "be yourself" as opposed to "be hot" but that doesn't stop the jokes from flying. Faris might just be the lightest comedic heavyweight. Score: 7 out of 10