Funny Bunny

Alright, I’ve been slacking with my movie reviews….

What – I’ve been busy. Not at a club, either.

The last movie I saw, over Labor Day weekend (I know, I know…bad me…) was The House Bunny, in which the delightful Anna Faris plays Shelley Darlington, a Playboy Bunny of nine years who is unceremoniously asked to leave the Playboy Mansion on her 27th birthday because, she’s told, 27’s like, 59 in Bunny years.

Homeless and without essential skills, Shelley wanders L.A., broken-spirited-yet-greatly-coiffed, until she finds a job – her first – as the housemother at ZAZ, a.k.a. the most unpopular sorority on a college’s Greek block.

There, Shelley meets a team of ugly ducklings led by Superbad’s Emma Stone that includes up-and-comers Rumer Willis, American Idol’s Katharine McPhee, and Kat Dennings. Of course, she gives them all makeover and teaches them what boys like to make them more popular, all the while ensuring they remain true to themselves.

While The House Bunny is far from a perfect comedy – its most memorable gag has Shelley repeating the name of everyone she meets…in a super-hilarious Linda Blair-in-The-Exorcist voice – it’s a good-enough-but-could’ve-been-better showcase for Faris and a mindless-fun time at the movie theater.

Still, some people, like Juno screenwriter/Entertainment Weekly columnist Diablo Cody are “stoked” about The House Bunny, and with good reason. The movie, which was written by the same ladies who wrote Legally Blonde, has pluck and heart.

Sometimes, that’s all you need.

My Rating **1/2

Photo: Sony Pictures.