Nope it's not a joke. There's a couple reasons why I'm going to see this end-of-summer probable filth from the Happy Madison camp, and there's probably no real good one, but I'll try.
First let's talk about the second poster for the film, which borrows heavily from the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up routine of catching a goofy lead actor in an embarrassing expression and tacking a solid tag line to it.
Going off that, the main reason I want to see HB is Anna Faris. I thought she was the best thing about Scary Movie, and the subsequent ones really diminished and now the whole spoof franchise has really made strides to be bottom of the barrel (at least Leslie Nielsen is IN Superhero Movie). What's cool about Faris is that beyond that she managed to make appearances in Lost in Translation and Brokeback Mountain providing comic relief that rounded out and lightened up each film without going overboard. It was a great fit for her as well, being able to use some real comic timing. Who knows; if she were to do that often, playing a small but vibrant supporting role in larger movies, she could be a younger female version of Alec Baldwin (alright don't worry nobody comes close to Baldwin, I'm just sayin'). Or a Madeline Kahn (alright now I'm really pushing it).
What really makes me think that i could at least be mildly amusing when Faris is on screen is Just Friends. I thought she was terrific in that, and matched Ryan Reynolds (yes, I'm a fan) tick for tick. Of course her character was barely written but she really was entertaining I thought, with just a massive dose of creepiness mixed with her charming baby face. I think when you take that into account, she has enough comic energy to carry a high concept film certainly.
It doesn't hurt that off screen she seems very humble and dedicated to her performances.
HB is from the writers of Legally Blonde, and while that really wasn't that terrible (for some reason seeing bad movies with my parents and at least hearing them laugh makes it a little easier to take, with the exception of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, man I hated that movie, I'm not even going to put it in italics because I hated it so much). It's the same formula, taking a dumb blonde who naively and incredibly makes her way through a fish out of water story. I think with Faris the screenwriters have a more able comic talent on their hands, and also, Happy Madison was excited to have their first female-led production. Yeah you have Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson, but I think Faris actually trumps them all by just going the extra mile and being able to play insane characters that are more ripe with comic situations and more zany. I get a sense that she doesn't mind if she doesn't look pretty; funny is funny and that's what she's after. I think what looks to be her bewilderment through the entirety of HB will at least make me laugh if not anyone else. It's just rare to see broad comedy done with a female lead who has the potential to have real comic timing in a film and push herself to equal lengths if not more than a male lead would in the same thing, not something like Sex And The City (which I won't italicize either because that movie blew donkey balls, don't ask me why I saw it). I think it would be cool to see a female Will Ferrell in the movies churning out consistent work.
So enough about Faris. The rest of the girls are hot (Kat Dennings, Emma Stone) and so far, both have been in funny films from the Apatow clan. Colin Hanks is cool (Orange County could have been better but it was fairly unpredictable) and goes to Kettle of Fish, so points there. Beverly D'Angelo is bank, and who doesn't like Christopher "Don't Call Me Shooter" McDonald? My question is using the lead singer from All American Rejects as one of the love interests for the sisters. That just sucks, and from this clip at Ropes of Silicon it seems like he'll be the weak link:
Yeah he's gonna suck big time.
Obviously there aren't really high hopes for this movie, and with Mamma Mia still doing well and Sisterhood just coming out there's competition from female-centric movies. However, I'll be paying for it, and hoping it's worth my while.
The House Bunny is directed by Fred Wolf, not the animation guy, but the writer/director and former head writer of SNL, and also wrote the somewhat enjoyable Without A Paddle.
Check out the trailer:
The House Bunny on IMDB
No comments:
Post a Comment