This is one of those flicks that you almost feel bad liking as a critic but I could not help laughing throughout this entire film. Anna Faris just does something for me and she really shined in this film; taking a leading role and just blowing audiences away.

Who would have thought a movie that was as cliché and unoriginal as this would make my cry laughing. There were moments where I was shouting out obscenities because of how funny the flick was. The big thing to know is that the movie starts off awful.

My notes literally are like a rollercoaster’s first uphill section. They start off low saying how awful the movie was and as the flick goes on, it was like going up that first hill. The jokes, the story and the acting all became better. Anytime we were in the actual Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner and the Playboy bunnies, the acting was horrific. When we were outside of the Mansion and with the sorority girls, the acting was 10 times better.

The House Bunny stars Anna Faris (Scary Movie, Just Friends), Emma Stone (Superbad, The Rocker), Hugh Hefner (if you don’t know who he is, I can’t help you), Kat Dennings (Charlie Bartlett, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Rumor Willis (Bruce/Demi’s Daughter), Beverly D’Angelo (The Devil’s Rejects), Colin Hanks (Orange County, Untraceable), Christopher McDonald (Requiem For A Dream), Dana Goodman (Duece Bigalow: European Gigolo) and Katharine McPhee (American Idol contestant).

The film opens and we meet Shelley (Faris) who is now turning 27 years old, which equals 59 in bunny years. Shelley is a Playboy bunny whose life long dream is to be a centerfold model. The day after she turns 27 years old, she receives a letter from Hugh Hefner saying that she has 2 hours to move out of the Mansion. She is completely distraught and is now basically homeless, considering she was an orphan. She happens to walk by a college campus and stumble upon a group of nerdy sorority sisters (Zeta).

Now, since Shelley is the beautiful Playboy model who is completely stupid but has a good heart, she wants to help this sorority become the best on campus. They are the outcast sorority and are on the verge of being shut down because they do not have enough pledges. The sorority consists of nerdy Natalie (Stone) who knows way too much history and could be so hot if she wanted (like Jamie Lee Curtis from True Lies–Bill Paxton scene with Arnold in the car is definitely a classic). She wears awful glasses. You also have Mona (Dennings) who is pierced all over her face, very pale and just sickly looking. The best one is Carrie Mae (Goodman) who basically plays the butch like character who talks like a dude. You also have Harmony (McPhee) who is around 9 months pregnant. It is safe to say that they are not the talk of the town. Shelley takes over the role as the sorority’s house mom and it is her duty to turn these nerdy girls into the talk of the school. She needs to prep them to talk to guys and become popular. The problem is that she knows nothing about anything, which makes her character so funny. Can I please say, subjectively, that she is smoking hot!

Overall, I am sure this movie will be panned nationwide by critics, but I am standing tall here and saying that this movie will make you crack up laughing. It starts off very dull and then becomes absurdly funny to point where I couldn’t control myself I was laughing so hard.

Faris was unbelievable in her starring role but she gets a lot of help from other great performances including Emma Stone and little known actress, Dana Goodman. Goodman had people dying as the butch girl who talked like a dude. Some of her lines were to die for.

The big problems with the film are the awful beginning where the acting seemed childlike and how awful Hugh Hefner was on camera. Could they at least re-do his lines. The guy was awful! Please do not let him in a movie ever again. I understand the appeal and see why he was in it but they could have worked on his acting a little bit.

I was actually surprised as to how good Rumor Willis was as well. She pulled off a character that had to wear a brace the entire film and she did a great job. She is definitely a looker as well; though I feel kind of awkward because I can kind of see Bruce’s face in her face.

This movie is definitely funny and worth seeing. I know the trailers and the concept will turn a lot of people away but it really was very funny. I couldn’t believe the audience reaction as well. People were laughing and smiling. Definitely check it out. You will not be disappointed!

credits: Big Daddy Kev

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Official Movie Poster

Singapore Date: 1st October 2008 Language: English Running Time: 98 mins Rating: PG Genre: Comedy Starring: Emma Stone, Colin Hanks, Kat Dennings, Katharine McPhee, Anna Faris Directed by: Fred Wolf Company: Happy Madison Productions Singapore Distributor: Columbia Tristar Films iZone Rating: 7.5/10 Official Website : The House Bunny

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Movie Trailer

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