Admittedly, as ultimately a sorority plot-driven film, I knew it wouldn’t be as bold or daring as the Christina Ricci independent vehicle Pumpkin which found her superficial character overcoming prejudice in falling for a mentally disabled athlete. But after viewing these two early House Bunny scenes of Faris and the girls (shown below), I was sorely disappointed that when you have a cast filled with talented stars including both Emma Stone and Kat Dennings, it’s a shame that more wasn’t done with the young women’s storyline other than forcing Stone to go through a humiliating “sacrificing of the virgin” jello lava slide into punch at an Aztec-themed party.
Introductions:
Clubbing:
Therefore, all in all, while Witherspoon’s Elle Woods will never be mistaken for a celebration of sexual equality, compared to Shelley Darlingson, she seems like a modern-day version of Gloria Steinem. And while I have no doubt that some will call my reaction to the film overly harsh and typical of my gender (and I predict, to misquote the title of Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 epic, "There Will Be Comments"), I must assure you that it has nothing to do with those facts nor that as the same age as Shelley’s character, I’m not upset that the film informed me that I’m fifty-nine in bunny years.
No, instead, I just feel that wisdom should go along with age and no matter how old you are in bunny years, you’ll take it upon yourselves to seek out just what makes something truly funny and heartfelt for both men as well as women. And as Elle Woods might say, may I be as bold as to suggest going for something with much more “snap,” and a bit less “bend?”
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
But how do you really feel? Don't hold back. Very good review.
2 - Jen
Ha ha, yes, I know-- let's just say, I was the first one out of my seat at the screening (though I think most critics were right behind me) and I avoided the PR note-takers altogether to make a bee-line for my car. The only other time I did that at a screening was for last year's unintentionally hilarious Love in the Time of Cholera.
Not to mention, that that "bend and snap" line had already popped into my head just ten minutes into the movie.
Hmm, maybe I've been inspired by all of you other wonderful Blogcritics to get out of my shell a bit? Too bad it was Faris's "Shelley" that was the culprit since she's so talented.
Thanks for reading and the compliment-- you're a wonderful critic so it means a lot.
3 - Jordan Richardson
Bloody hell, this movie looks all kinds of awful. Thanks for saving me the trouble!
4 - Jen
No, problem, Jordan. Happy to take one for the team movie-wise! :)
5 - Jen
not sure how that extra comma got in there at the beginning but oh well... maybe I'm still recovering from the film.
6 - Derek Fleek
I couldn't tell who the target audience was, whether it be hormone-crazed men or early teenage girls. The marketing here was a problem, and the fact that you provided the movie with an infallible "skip it" warning printed on the cover saved me a few bucks and 97 precious minutes of my life. Thank you and great review Jen.
7 - Jen
Thanks, Derek and you're right-- bad marketing all the way!
8 - Brentwood
Um-m-m-m-m-----it's a cute, funny little comedy. No need to get all four-syllable on us. It's not designed to be "Schindler's List." Most other reviewers seem to have gotten this point.There is a legitimate place for funny and sweet.
9 - Jen
Hi Brentwood. Thanks for your comment. Anna Faris rules but the movie-- not so much. Glad you enjoyed the film but actually most reviewers were disappointed with it as well (check out the major newspaper sites or Rotten Tomatoes for proof). Obviously it's not Schindler's List which is a good thing since there can only be one of those and if all movies were like that it'd be too depressing to hit the cinema anymore!
I totally agree with you that there's a legitimate place for funny and sweet and tons of movies have done that much, much, much better like Never Been Kissed, 13 Going On 30, You've Got Mail, The Wedding Singer and definitely Legally Blonde etc.
Surprisingly, I'm one of the few critics who didn't hate Made of Honor or 27 Dresses so I always stick up for cute little comedies that are worthwhile! There's another one of these films coming up in a few weeks that I think you'll enjoy even more than Bunny so stay tuned. As a critic I'm not allowed to discuss it yet but let's just say it's a female film that's sweet, funny, and treats its characters and audiences a bit better than this one did.