By Michael Rechtshaffen
That performance should handily extend Columbia's summer
comedy winning streak in a vehicle that plays to males and
females, packing some real sleeper potential. The studio
releases the film Friday (August 22).
Faris, who strutted her comic stuff in such movies as "Lost
in Translation" and the "Scary Movie" franchise, as well as on
"Friends" as the surrogate mother of Monica and Chandler's
baby, goes for the gold here as the clueless Shelley, who's one
of Hugh Hefner's favorites (and Hef's on hand to prove it)
until she's turfed from the Playboy Mansion upon turning 27.
That's, like, 59 in Bunny years, Shelley's told, and she
briefly finds herself out on the street before landing a gig
transforming the socially challenged residents of the Zeta
Alpha Zeta sorority house into bona fide babes.
In the process, while spouting words of wisdom like "My
heart was pounding like a nail," she learns a thing or two from
the sisters about the importance of being true to yourself.
If the formula sounds awfully familiar, at least writers
Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith elected to rip themselves
off, having penned "Legally Blonde."
Although moments of inspiration are few and far between,
director Fred Wolf (in a vast improvement over his first
feature, "Strange Wildnerness"), keeps things bouncing along at
an agreeable pace, while allowing Faris plenty of wiggle room.
Providing capable backup is a supporting cast including
celebrity offspring Colin Hanks and Rumer Willis. "Bunny" also
boasts especially amusing turns from "Superbad's" Emma Stone
(registering early Lindsay Lohan) as the Zetas' unofficial
leader and Kat Dennings as her glib, heavily pierced sorority
sister.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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