Movie Review: The House Bunny

I'm not exactly ashamed that I was looking forward to see this movie. Sure, it looks cheesy, cliche and stereotypical, maybe you can even call it misogynistic but it looks funny and I really need something unpretentious to make me laugh with some brainless humor and The House Bunny delivered.

Anna Faris of Scary Movie fame plays Shelley, a cheerful optimistic playboy bunny who due to some mishaps got kicked out of the playboy mansion. Without any common sense after living in lalaland for all those years, she stumbled into an university campus and got drawn to the fun-loving atmosphere of sorority houses. Since Shelley does not have a place to live or a way to support herself, she applied to be the house mother of a soon-to-be-closed sorority house and help the misfits in the house and turn their sorority around.

It's not much of a story and everything is pretty much predictable. Regular frat house movie plot but there's something about the movie that's kinda refreshing. Maybe it's the way that Shelley took what she learned in the playboy mansion and applying them into the sorority setting, maybe it's the way she portrays a naive 20 something or maybe she's just likable but it's generally pleasing.

Other than a few lengthy cameo from Hugh Heffner and his bunnies, young Hollywood is very well represented in the movie as well. Tom Hanks' son Colin Hanks plays Shelley's love interest with a heart of gold Oliver. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter Rumer plays a nerdy girl with full body braces who had a Forrest Gump moment. American Idol winner Katherine McPhee plays a pregnant girl who's totally hilarious. Not as famous but talented Dana Goodman plays a big set hunchback manly Russian girl who's equally if not more so funny. Emma Stone is also quite delightful.

The movie didn't try to be anything it's not, it's a hearty good laugh and the cheese can be spread with a butter knife, but it's expected. Way better than Hamlet 2 in my point of view. C+