DVD
REVIEW: THE HOUSE BUNNY
12/19/08
SYNOPSIS: When the
mansion’s favorite bunny, Shelley (Faris), is kicked out of
the hottest house in town, she gets lost in the wilderness
of Beverly Hills. But when she stumbles into the sorriest
sorority, Zeta Alpha Zeta, she finds a home where she can
finally put her talents to good use. Then when Shelley meets
a beau she’d like to tie on for good, she really has
something to flirt for and thinks she might have a chance at
life on the outside. Now the race is on to make over the
girls and make Zeta the hottest house before the University
shuts them down. Move in with The House Bunny and laugh your
tail off!
REVIEW: “The eyes
are the nipples of the face.” Yeah, this is what you’re
gonna get throughout . . . silly, silly fun. By the way,
this is a Happy Madison Production which for comedy fans
would be good news. Well, there are some very funny moments
and the premise sounds entertaining enough, but it just
misses true Happy Madison caliber. I’ve always been a fan of
Anna Faris and I was looking forward to seeing her in her
first real starring role, especially something like this
which is right up her ally. She wasn’t exactly over the top
fantastic but she held her own and really made the movie
worthwhile. She is very good at playing ditsy and she has a
proven record for comedic mastery. Her line delivery and
facial expressions are some of her top talents. In this film
she also throws in a heavy dose of sexiness which I always
knew she could pull off. The fact that I think she’s
adorable helps influence my opinion. Did I just admit that
out loud? Anyhow, she is in great shape and looks very hot
playing this character. Guys, come on, the background of the
story is all about Playboy Playmates and Bunnies, Hugh
Hefner, and the Playboy Mansion. Of course the eye candy
abounds in this movie, Anna Faris included. Ok, wait a tick,
gorgeous, ditsy blonde leaves Playboy Mansion, goes to a
college and ends up helping everybody around her including
herself . . . this sounds like Legally Blonde meets The
Girls Next Door.
Enough about Anna, though, I mean there were other people in
the movie too. Colin Hanks, for example, plays Oliver who
catches Shelley’s (Anna) eye. He did a decent job. The Zeta
house misfits include the likes of Natalie (Emma Stone),
Mona (Kat Dennings), Joanne (Rumer Willis, yeah Bruce’s
daughter, uh huh), and even Katharine McPhee playing a
character appropriately named Harmony. These are some of the
bunch and they all gave pretty good performances but Emma
stands out and was just as sharp as Anna. It was nice to see
Beverly D’Angelo on the big screen again. She plays Mrs.
Hagstrom, a snooty sorority house mother. With a story like
this one you would expect the variety of characters to be
like a melting pot and this piece of work does not fall
short. The storyline for this picture is simple and
predictable but improved by the Happy Madison flare for the
absurd. One of the weaker aspects of the film is the script.
Again, the movie had its really funny moments but at other
times the dialogue was too corny. Luckily the good funny
moments were well spread out so that just as you are about
to get turned off by the movie, one of those moments would
pop up to keep you going. The appropriate musical selection
for the soundtrack also helped entertain.
Fred Wolf has been involved as a writer and/or actor in such
works as Black Sheep, Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts, Without a
Paddle, and Strange Wilderness. With these comedic
credentials, he has the experience to crank out some good
stuff as director. This being only his second gig as
director, there is room for improvement but he is on the
right track. If you are a fan of these kinds of comedies or
if you are a fan of Anna Faris, you might want to check this
one out.
Film
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD: The DVD is
presented in 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving the
theatrical presentation of the film. The picture is
complemented with a 5.1 Dolby Digital audio in English and French.
This version of the DVD
includes about 60 minutes of special features. All
divided in small featurettes taking viewers behind the
scenes of the film. Like it was expected the featurettes
are gear towards the male audience, with most of them
focusing in the hot girls in the film. It even includes
one with the Real "Girl Next Door" girls.
VIDEO:
2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
10 Deleted scenes (11:53)
The Girls Upstairs - Behind the Scenes with the Real
‘Girls Next Door’ (3:13)
Look Who Dropped By: Checkout the stars who showed
up on-set! (4:29)
“I Know What Boys Like” Music Video by Katharine
McPhee (2:22)
Zetas Transformed (2:38)
Colin Hanks: Mr. Nice Guy (4:49)
Getting Ready for a Party (3:29)
Anna Faris: House Mom – a look at Anna Faris, and
her character “Shelley,” her infection smile, fun
personality and interactions with others (5:25)
House Bunny Style: Make-up/hair/wardrobe documentary
on making over the Zeta girls into “Bunnies” (6:12)
The Girls of Zeta: A look into the actresses who
make up the sorority girls of Zeta and how they bonded
on-set (5:25)
Calendar Girls: A fun look into the photo shoot for
the calendar (3:25)
House Bunny Memories (4:20)
From Tour Bus to Trailer: Tyson Ritter –A look at
the on-set experiences of first-time actor Tyson Ritter
(5:15)
From Song to Set: Katharine McPhee – A look at the
on-set experiences of first-time actress Katharine McPhee
(4:25)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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