Smiley Face

One genre of film is often watched by an audience that will usually not admit to seeing it. These flicks are silly. They contain only the most rudimentary of stories. These guilty pleasures typically involve extreme levels of inebriation. Back in the thirties alcohol was the substance of choice and this was reflected in the films by the likes of W.C. Fields. Then in the seventies marihuana became popular and the Cheech and Chong movies came about. The stoner is a natural source of comedy. For those that are not under the influence they can laugh at the characters. Those enjoying the same pharmacological mental alternations can laugh with them. The latest film by writer-director Gregg Araki technically has a symbol for a title, the universally known yellow smiley face. We have all seen it and most of us are truly annoyed by it. So, the sake of listing the movie in databases and search engines that are bound to the conformist use of the alphabet it is referred to as ‘Smiley Face’. This technique is about as original as the flick it refers to. This is not to say that the flick isn’t funny, very often it is. There is just nothing original in the way the laughs were produced.

Araki uses chronic (no pun intended) use of pot as a vehicle for a sophomoric comedy. Now while most deride this genre there is a place for it in the art of cinema. Since one of the main purposes here is to entertain the movie works, the audience will be amused. When it comes to analyzing the film there is very little to say. Usually a film like this is episodic by nature. The pot is used as an excuse to get the characters into the situation where a laugh can be drawn out. In some films like ‘Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle’ the success came through the use of unusual characters in familiar situations. In this film the characters are drawn too broadly and cut from the stereotype manual. For those that are concerned that a flick like this promotes drug abuse don’t worry. It is almost like a ‘this is your brain on drugs’ public service spot on television. Everything that goes wrong in the protagonist’s life is due solely to her massive use of pot. Actual pot heads will sit back and laugh at the antics, non smokers will laugh at just how stupid this substance makes the characters.

The film opens with the dulcet voice of Roscoe Lee Browne. He has one of those voices that command attention with soothing ease. He explains that this is a story of a young woman trying to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘Z’. Playing right away to the stoners in the audience he suggests that it is interesting to ponder the journey we each make every day. Those who do not routinely use such amounts of pot as depicted here are too busy making the journey to ponder it. The camera pulls back to reveal Jane (Anna Faris). She is sitting alone on a deserted Ferris wheel, mouth agape in awe of the mundane. She is stoned out of her gourd. She speaks to the voice over with the stoner’s mantra "what were we talking about". She has three thoughts in her addled mind; where to get tostitos and orange juice, how is she having a conversation with Roscoe Lee Browne and just how did she wind up on the Ferris wheel. The story flashes back to consider the third thought. Jane’s day began as usual with her stoned trying to play a video game on her Mac. It was only 9:17 in the morning early even for her to get stoned but that did not prevent her from lighting up her trusty bong. She is an aspiring actress who even did a commercial for a soda recently. Jane is proud that between that and unemployment she can pay for her own pot without needing a check from her parents. There is little surprise that Jane has a raging case of the munchies. She eats all the cereal in sight and taps into her one year supply of the soda she advertised. She had never seen her roommate Steve (Danny Masterson) get high. He is a Sci-Fi geek and appears straight. Even though there was a sign on a batch of cupcakes he prepared for a convention warning Jane not to eat them, the munchies are a powerful force and she consumes every last one. She justifies it by planning on baking him more, even better cupcakes. Then the truth sets in, the cupcakes where filled with even more pot. Jane was unbelievably high. Adding to her dilemma is another sign from Steve, pay the electric bill or it will be disconnected. Also on Jane’s to-do list is an audition for a part. After staring off in space for 19 minutes she comes up with a plan. Buy more pot using the money for the electric bill. Then go to the audition and go to the cash machine to get money for the bill and cupcake supplies. She calls her dealer, also named Steve (Adam Brody) to get the ounce of weed she needs. She is $40 short and has to pay him back today. Instead of getting on with her busy day she gets even more stoned. While melting butter with the pot Jane is distracted, wonder how that happened and ruins it all. It is also time to go to the audition. She blows the audition, has no money in her bank account and flushes the last of her pot down the toilet when she thinks the cops are after her. I guess by now you see where this is going.

It would seem that the best laid plans of mice, men and stoners often go astray. There is a bizarre continuity here has the hapless Jane stumbles from one situation after another. When a part of her plan inevitably falls part she just comes up with new plans. Adding to her problems is a massive dose of paranoia which considering she stole an original of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, the feeling that people are after her is not all that far fetched. The circumstances are zany and the way Araki paces the movie is extremely well played. This film is like a giant Rube Goldberg contraption set in the real world. Jane goes along with her day and every time she tries to get out of some pot induced folly she creates several more. What makes this flick somewhat better than others in the ilk is the way Araki balances the euphoria of pot with the way it has a tendency to prevent the user from even the most straight forward normal functions. The film is able to get any member of the audience to laugh by laughing at itself.

Anna Faris is excellent as Jane. She has a lot of experience in silly films with the ‘Scared Movie’ franchise under her belt. In those films she learned how to let go and have fun with a character. There is no subtle nuance to her performance just all out madness. It is refreshing in a way to see a beautiful actress so able to make fun of herself as Faris does here. There are no glamour shots; Jane typically has her mouth wide open completely stoned. Faris is able to forget just how unlikely the circumstances are by the sheer energy of her performance.

First Look Home Entertainment has a lot of guilty pleasure flicks on DVD. Most are quirky independent movies that a lot of people may have missed but are well worth getting. With this one the film is a solid comedy and no matter how ridiculous it is all that matters is you will laugh. It is the perfect flick to show when a few friends are over. Just sit back, an enjoy.

Posted 01/01/08