Smiley Face received no Australian theatrical distribution. Here's why it rocked:
[1] Unlike other stoner movies, Anna Faris's characters actually remains stoned throughout the entire film.
[2] Unlike other stoner movies, Anna Faris acts like a complete tool and gets into heaps of trouble which she will NOT get out of.
[3] Unlike other stoner movies, pot is not the key to all greatness. Sure, it's a hell of a trip, but one we must come down from. Anna Faris in Smiley Face does not.
Smiley Face is the best stoner movie I've ever seen. Greg Araki (Mysterious Skin) directs what initially seems like a featherweight girls' version of Harold and Kumar, but really it's the arthouse alternative. Anna Faris cannot be underestimated. Remaining stoned and acting like a tool for 88 minutes straight and STILL being likeable is pretty commendable. She's just so goddamn funny. The performance is undoubtedly a tour de force of comedic showmanship. She is in every scene and never once breaks character to wink at us. She's in it for the long haul.
Seth Cohen as the drug dealer. Brilliant.Smiley Face is no pro-pot farce. Anna Faris gets her just desserts. Pot certainly does NOT make her cool. One of the funniest scenes involves her sneaking into a meat packing plant and spouting off the validity of union memberships and fair workers' rights. The film then directly cuts to what Anna Faris ACTUALLY says while stoned (ie. not what she thinks she said) and it makes no sense and yes, she's a tool. Because let's face it people, pot may be fun but it makes you a tool. Here endeth the lesson.
3 comments:
being the best stoner movie is like being the best pedophile. also dont discount dazed and confused and a scanner darkly
Haha harsh. Nah that's like saying the best spoof movie.
But yeah, I didn't wanna praise it too much. But it really tried something different with the genre. Most pot films use marijuana as an excuse to be lazy, but the only lazy thing in Smiley Face was Anna Faris's character.
I am ashamed to say this but I have not seen Dazed and Confused. A Scanner Darkly was more of a "drug film" with strong sci-fi elements so I put it in a separate genre. Smiley Face was less ambitious but succeeded perfectly with what it set out to do (in my humble opinion).
How dare you not want to praise it too much. Smiley face was awesome.
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