A_Different_Drummer
This is a belated review, entered in 2015 after a second viewing.Here are your instructions: If you have seen the movie and are looking for validation, and you 'get' the rating (6) skip the review. You don't need it.Otherwise, if you are newbie or have a different view, you can proceed to these comments: 1. OMG. It's as if a couple of writers had taken a week off to "map" the arc of Faris' career (which was pretty solid UP TO THAT POINT!) and concluded, hey, she can do it, she can carry an entire wacky comedy on her own, she has the looks, she has the talent, and no has ever given her a chance. So let's do it.2. Above, I explained how this film came into being. What I neglected to add was what happened next. The script. It looks like it did not get beyond the first draft. It reads like it did not get beyond the crayon stage. It contains lines like "the eyes are the nipples of the face." Having spent all their energy deciding if Anna could do this film (and yes, she could have done it, she did do it, and it is a pity she did not have better material) there seems to have been no time or budget left for a proper script. Anna was sent into battle with no live ammo. The rest is history.3. There an Amanda Bynes film called Sydney White which is very similar. Here is the thing. Side by side, compared one to the other, the Bynes film becomes an amalgam of Citizen Kane and Mean Girls. Not that it is so great (it is actually pretty good, but making a point here!) but simply that House Bunny is so bad.4. Bottom line, for Faris' fans only, and I know there are a lot of you. She tried. But she was fighting impossible odds. But she tried.
Wuchak
"The House Bunny" (2008) stars Anna Faris as playboy bunny, Shelly, living at Hefner's infamous mansion. When she's unexpectedly ousted after her 27th birthday she gets a gig as a house mother at a USC sorority where Shelly encourages a group of geeky girls by giving them make-overs, etc. Beverly D'Angelo, Colin Hanks and Hugh Hefner have side roles. The plot is similar to 1984's "Revenge of the Nerds" in that a group of nerdy youths get revenge on their popular crowd persecutors. The difference here, of course, is that the nerds are girls at a sorority rather than guys at a fraternity, not to mention the presence of a playboy bunny as their leader. I wanted to see this movie the second I saw the trailer because it made it look like an entertaining movie and it is, to a point. Amiable Anna easily carries the movie with her winsome, naïve personality while Emma Stone is equally effective as the leader of the geeks. Kat Denning, Katharine McPhee and a couple of the other actresses who play the nerdy girls are also good. It's a well-made, likable dramedy with -- thankfully -- no raunch. The problem is the script and the corresponding flow of the story. It never really engaged me and, as such, the movie never rose above mildly amusing. Another problem is that the filmmakers failed to take advantage of the female resources at their disposal, except for Faris. Dennings is underutilized and McPhee is pregnant the entire movie, which was unnecessary because there's no appreciable payoff to that particular subplot.If you want to see a really good dramedy about sorority girls check out 2005's "Man of the House." The film runs 97 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, including Playboy Mansion and USC. GRADE: C
jaywensley2004
"The House Bunny" owes a lot to several movies of the "naive wins out" type. The best of these is "Being There," the least is "Dumb and Dumber." The main character is guileless and often childlike, but not stupid. Anna Faris as "The House Bunny" portrays my favorite variation on this theme...the trusting romantic who lives simply but understands complicated. And she does so very, very well.Faris is a natural in this type of role, her particular form of charisma is of the wide-eyed woman/child. If you've ever seen a Marion Davies' movie, you've seen the origin of this character. Alyson Hannigan did a brilliant turn on this role as Michelle Flaherty in "American Pie". And Anna Faris' Shelly Darlingson is another great interpretation of the type. Shelly is all about rainbows and unicorns, but she understands thunderstorms and glue factories, and Faris makes the existence and success of Shelly believable. That said, the main plot of "The House Bunny" is outrageously unbelievable. But its "that kind" of comedy, hyperbolic and over-the-top. I would never recommend this movie for its depth of story, but Faris' performance, with the bonus of early Emma Stone, makes "The House Bunny" a movie that delivers smiles and cheers.
Stevo Cleavo
Who says a chick flick can't make you believe in aliens. Was this funny. Yes Was it touching yes. A real life bunny heads to NY to find the duck she fell in love with. If scared of bats beware, there is 20 minutes of animal porn,surprised me. Anna Faris makes me believe in love and that anyone looks good in pink. Emma stones breakout performance. Believe in love everyone. Don't watch if pregnant. Great movie to watch for a car ride. Is on two discs since its extra long. Was shot with one camera, no lighting. Need 3-d glasses to see whole film. YAY! The house bunny is a movie for all houses, expect those with more than 4 dogs.
AD
