SYNOPSIS: Shelley is living a carefree life until a rival gets her tossed out of the Playboy Mansion. With nowhere to go, fate delivers her to the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. Unless they can sign a new pledge class, the seven socially clueless women will lose their house to the scheming girls of Phi Iota Mu. In order to accomplish their goal, they need Shelley to teach them the ways of makeup and men; at the same time, Shelley needs some of what the Zetas have -- a sense of individuality. The combination leads all the girls to learn how to stop pretending and start being themselves.

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.
 

Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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