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2008
I'm completely serious when I say Anna Faris deserved year-end awards consideration for "The House Bunny."
No, really! Bear with me: Granted, the film is nothing special, but its lead is. In movie after movie not up to her level of talent ("Scary Movie" to "Just Friends"), Faris has exhibited an absolute fearlessness to earn a laugh. The girl's not afraid to look stupid, act stupid or do stupid, and therefore, she's braver than most actresses these days. Could Meryl Streep deliver a throwaway line like "Sorry about the gravity!" and have it ring convincingly? I think not!
Someday, Faris will find a vehicle that fits her to a T, but for now, this "Bunny" will have to do. Its plot "? a Playboy bunny becomes house mom to a sorority of social misfits "? its perfunctory and formulaic, like "Legally Blonde" in a push-up bra. Many of its jokes land with a thud, but some gags sparkle under Faris' go-for-broke gusto, such as her character's penchant for learning people's names by reciting them in a deep, demonic voice.
Deleted scenes are included on the DVD, but none that scream "should've made the cut." Former "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee "? who doesn't embarrass herself in a supporting role "? contributes a music video for "I Know What Boys Like," which qualifies as not-bad eye candy, much like the flick itself.
"?Rod Lott
