NEW ON DVD: Anna Faris, John Krasinski in SMILEY FACE
In the seven years Anna Faris has been on the big screen, she’s given us plenty of her impossibly clueless, ridiculously cute, blond comic acting. The girl never blinks while she plays it straight-up dumb — or just straight — in the Scary Movie series or the redneck comedy Southern Belles. (See Ty Burr’s ode to Anna Faris.) But Gregg Araki’s Smiley Face, out on DVD today, takes all that silly talent to a new level.
For the entirety of Smiley Face, Faris’ ‘Jane F.’ is completely, painfully wasted. It starts with a morning toke, and is followed by ‘oh whoops’ moments that take the out-of-work actress even higher. Meanwhile, she’s gotta pay her dealer (Adam Brody), make cupcakes for her weirdo roommate (Danny Masterson), and nail an audition. All with the help of uber-geek Brevin (John Krasinski), who loves the junk-food-eating pothead from afar. Oh, and Marion Ross appears. And so does Roscoe Lee Brown.
Araki (left, with Faris) is known for the creepy Mysterious Skin (2004), as well as his middle-finger underground films (like The Doom Generation). He fills the screen with Faris’ slack-jawed silliness in every scene and her performance is real comic dedication. With a comedy this broad, Araki’s work feels very much like John Waters’ — this is
Harold and Kumar’s unconventional stepsister.
Faris’ happy, out-there optimism makes for a slow, sunny day, and you’re bound to laugh (at her, not with her). Smiley Face was a super-fried hit at Sundance in 2007, but barely saw the light of day afterward. If you’re not a stoner, you’ll still be impressed by Faris. If you are a stoner, this one’s an easy trip.
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[…] Smiley Face pingback from isaiah.newwebnews.com […]
[…] Rogen is the great Anna Faris (see our coverage of Faris in Smiley Face) and Ray Liotta. Wouldn’t it be great if Liotta riffed on his cop character from […]
[…] We’ve discussed Anna Faris here before, and her ability to shamelessly play ditzy girls that brim with optimism and hopeless naivete. Try any Scary Movie entry (she’s really held that series up), the underrated Southern Belles or the Gregg Araki stoner movie, Smiley Face. With The House Bunny, Faris plays a Playboy bunny charged with helping a socially inept college sorority. […]