Seen on: August 23, 2008

The players: Director: Fred Wolf, Writers: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, Cast: Anna Faris, Katharine McPhee, Emma Stone, Rumer Willis, Kat Dennings

Facts of interest: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith also wrote "Ella Enchanted" and "Legally Blonde."

The plot: After Shelley (Faris) is tossed out of the Playboy mansion, she becomes the housemother of an unpopular sorority.

Our quick thoughts: Fred Wolf’s latest comedy “The House Bunny” is nothing but a simple mixture of “Legally Blonde” and “Sydney White.” But don’t get me wrong; as long as they offer me something creative I haven’t see plenty of times already, I really don’t have anything against screenwriters copying characters or entire story lines from previous films. In this case, however, most of what I ended up seeing turned out to be a little too familiar.

Meet Shelley Darlingson (Anna Faris). Shelley is an eccentric Playboy bunny who adores her life at the mansion and wakes up every day hoping Hef will select her as the next centerfold. But when Shelley turns 27, she’s unceremoniously kicked out of the mansion for being too old. Although her dreams may be shattered, Shelley’s life quickly changes for the better when she becomes the housemother of Zeta, an unpopular sorority full of geeks who risk losing their charter because they failed to receive enough pledges. 

Essentially, “The House Bunny” is a little too formulaic and predictable for my taste, with only a few jokes working while most are crushed by bad comic timing. Basically, all the girls are doing here is teaching each other how to become the ones they’re not but always wanted to be. Shelley transforms the geeks’ sorority into the hottest on campus and teaches the girls how to give their brains a rest and flirt with guys, while the sisters introduce Shelley to a world in which big cleavages and sexy talk won’t always get you where you want.

Meanwhile, there’s not much room for innovation or solid humor while the girls are exchanging tips and changing their looks. In short, most of what you see in “The House Bunny” is not exactly captivating material. The majority of the dialogue is just plain moronic and not clever enough to cause big laughter. The film boasts a bunch of heartfelt and sufficiently entertaining sequences, although some of them are often ruined by a selection of embarrassingly bad slapstick moments. 

Anna Faris turns in a surprisingly energetic performance in the role of Shelley, and she often saves the film’s most awkward moments with some great one-liners. Unfortunately, there are also quite a number of absurd aspects to her character that keep her from coming across as hilarious. At least she’s the best this flick has to offer. With Faris stealing the show, however, there is only little room for the supporting cast to shine. Emma Stone is the only one of the geeks to deliver a noticeable performance.

Freaky quote: “I definitely won't listen to what Simon says, he is just so mean. I usually always agree with Paula and Randy." – Anna Faris

The final word: Here’s the bottom line: “The House Bunny” is not exactly a disaster, but it’s certainly not as enjoyable as “Legally Blonde” or Amanda Bynes’ comedy “She’s the Man” (both written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith). It’s partially entertaining, yes, but it won't necessarily have you burst out in laughter. At least it’s a vast improvement on Fred Wolf’s previous disaster “Strange Wilderness.”       

Article by Franck Tabouring