Not Just the Ordinary Happily Ever After

by Megan Laubershimer

Over the years we've seen numerous twists on the classic fairy tale but nothing quite as original as the charming tale of a playboy bunny turned sorority mother in Happy Madison Production's The House Bunny.

Though proving to be no more than an imaginative story with genuine, heart-felt laughs few and far between, Anna Faris of the Scary Movie franchise manages to light up the otherwise empty movie with her charismatic charm and alluring simplicity. Even junior Kirsten Lamplugh says, "I think it looks so funny because she's so ditsy."

She captivates audiences with more than her skimpy outfits and barbie-doll presence, but with a knack for comedy and an enchanting personality as the title character.

Faris gives life to Shelley Darlinson, a 27-year-old bunny, who's kicked out into the real world where she falls in place with a group of misfit outcasts resembling Snow White's seven dwarfs. There she teaches them the power of a good make-over and a hot outfit, but is that really what's important to them?

Senior Alayna Graham says, "I thought it was lame because they hid themselves behind make-up and clothes," and she's not the only one to think that way.

The sorority girls seem to lose themselves as the story progresses until the very end, especially since it seems to be a popular theme among Americans to think looks make a girl, and though the movie ends on a high note, as all classic Hollywood movies do, it shows the audience how we put far too much importance on our looks, something the movie doesn't forget to emphasize in the end.

Not only are the smart yet unfashionable girls given a lesson on expressing themselves by more than just their school papers and more on their looks, Shelley learns the importance of a good heart and a smart head when she falls for a guy who "might just like a smart girl."

Starring alongside the ditsy Faris are actors Kat Dennings as the quick-witted yet cynical Mona, Emma Stone as geeky but sweet Natalie, and even American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee as soon-to-be mom Harmony. With innocent charm they make the transition from "nobodys" to "somebodys" while even picking up a few guys on the way.

However, their main purpose seems to be to support Faris's outrageous dialogue and the few quirky, comedic scenes from Shelley's exorcist voice to the Marylin Monroe on the manhole moment and particularly Shelley's eventful and often chaotic dates with the Charming Oliver.

The previews do the movie almost too much justice in revealing many of the upbeat parts which brought many people to the theater in the first place. Junior Kristie Kitto says, "I want to see it so bad. It looks hilarious. I've got the commercials memorized. The things she says are hilarious."

Overall, whatever happens to drive you into the theater, you'll leave with a feeling of light-heartedness, lower IQ, and a memory of a pleasant movie that will quickly be forgotten.