Screenwriter's Series: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith
The Screenwriters Series will examine the filmography of a screenwriter with the hope of finding out what helped them break into the industry or continue to find success. "Story By" credits will not be used: only films with official WGA Screenplay credit per IMDb will be used. This includes screenplays with multiple writers that may or may not have collaborated.
THIS MONTH'S SCREENWRITERS: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith
MOVIE: The House Bunny (2006)
Starring:
Anna Faris as Shelley Darlingson
Emma Stone as Natalie
Colin Hanks as Oliver
Kat Dennings as Mona
Katharine McPhee as Harmony
Rumer Willis as Joanne
Sarah Wright as Ashley
Beverly D'Angelo as Mrs. Hagstrom
Christopher McDonald as Dean Simmons
Director: Fred Wolf
Budget: $25 Million
Box Office:
Opened: $14.5M
Final: $48.2M
Plot:
Shelley, who has been at the Playboy Mansion for nine years but never been a centerfold, is tricked into leaving the mansion and finds herself on her own for the first time since she was a kid. She is soon taken in by the down on their luck Zeta sorority, who needs 30 pledges or else they lose their house, and becomes their house mother. While Shelley proves to be the salvation that the girls needed and helps them come out of their shells, the girls also teach Shelley something about herself as well.
The Script:
This is the first script that isn't an adaptation for the writing duo and it is also unfortunately one of the more generic. Given the fact that they were writing under the Happy Madison banner, with Sandler and Allen Covert all making revisions to the script, they weren't able to bring as much of their trademark freshness to the project. Instead, the script is peppered with more mean spirited humor than had been present in their previous writing projects. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (it's pretty tame compared to some of the other Happy Madison projects and it's not like their humor is tame by any standards) and it does highlight one good aspect of their partnership and that is adaptability. Being able to work with several different creative voices within the industry is a necessary quality to help writers get involved in more projects. And they were able to creatively keep their voice active in the film even though they were stepping out of their comfort zone.
My Review:
Despite following a pretty basic comedy template, this is a fun movie. It does have its faults, two very undercooked and forgettable villains as well as an underserved Colin Hanks, but Anna Faris gives a winning performance as the "vapid" Shelley. She's immensely likable and has a great chemistry with the Zeta girls, especially a young Emma Stone (this came out a year after her debut in Superbad). It's fun if you let it be.
Critical reception:
43% on Rotten Tomatoes
Up Next: The Ugly Truth (2009)