House Bunny Review

The first thing to note when watching The House Bunny is it could have been a lot, lot worse. The reason for this is it comes from the company Happy Madison, which means Adam Sandler's fingerprints are all over it. So how could it be worse? Well imagine if you will Mr. Sandler receiving this script in the late nineties. Then imagine Mr. Sandler thinking "How funny would it be if I played a Playboy bunny?" Or worse still, "Hey Rob Schneider, you wanna play a centrefold?". Thankfully this scenario is purely a product of my overly pessimistic imagination and instead the wonderful Anna Faris got the call.

On the day after her 28th Birthday Shelley (Anna Faris) gets a note from Hugh Heffner saying that she's too old to be a bunny and must leave the playboy mansion. Distraught Shelley wanders the streets until she comes across a sorority full of 'ugly' losers that take her in as their House Mother. While there she teaches them how to get guys to notice them and they in turn teach her how great she is. Cue everyone learning how to be themselves and love each other.

Now if that last line was more of a dominant force in this film it may not be the kind of movie allowed into family muliplexes but its the loving each other for who you are kinda love so here we are. And thats one of, if not the main fault of The House Bunny. Not the fact that its not a dildo and KY fuckfest, but that it doesn't push the boat out further when it comes to the jokes. While one particular response to "I put something extra in your drink" is delivered so ridiculously well this level of risque-ness is quickly put to the background so that the moral message can be forced down our throats.

The balance of the message isn't too bad. Its not quite 'love yourself for who you are' but more 'if you want to change something to make you happier, don't forget who you were'. On this principal alone its a more feminist movie than either Sex and The City or The Women and presents women in a much friendlier light. This is largely due to a strong cast with Kat Dennings and Emma Stone in particular standing out. But the real and only reason you might be tempted into the theatre is to see Anna Faris doing something that many people in Hollywood had forgotten women could do, making you laugh.