SYNOPSIS:
When the mansion's favourite bunny, Shelley is kicked out of the hottest house in town, she gets lost in the wilderness of Beverly Hills. But when she stumbles into the sorriest sorority, Zeta Alpha Zeta, she finds a home where she can finally put her talents to good use. Then when Shelley meets a beau she'd like to tie on for good, she really has something to flirt for and thinks she might have a chance at life on the outside. Now the race is on to make over the girls and make Zeta the hottest house before the University shuts them down.
MOVIE
REVIEW
Okay, this reviewer confesses: He isn’t exactly the most wholesome and noble guy around. When he was handed this DVD title, he was really looking forward to some raunchy action – but who can blame him? The Fred Wolf directed movie is about (all male readers, hold your breath now), gasp, a Playboy bunny.
And guess who’s playing this much craved after girl? Anna Faris. Now, she is not just any actress, mind you. She has starred in the Scary Movie franchise, and not just one of them – She was top billed in Scary Movie 1 (2000), 2 (2001), 3 (2003) and 4 (2006). Now, that’s a real star for you.
In this somewhat frivolous but fun movie, she plays a Playboy bunny (no, there aren’t Playboy bunnies in Singapore, so don’t you go looking for one) who gets tossed out of her comfort zone by the Playboy magazine creator and publisher (Hugh M. Hefner playing himself – what a hoot!). The poor girl has nowhere to go and lands up in a college sorority. The socially inept members of the club are about to lose their house and they need a miracle to keep it. And yes, along comes this Playboy bunny who transforms their lives (and their physical outlooks too, thank god) forever.
You can almost see those wholesome messages of learning not to be too concerned about what others think of you and the importance of being true to yourself a mile away. But no one is complaining, because in these times of cynicism and doubt, a movie like this can actually go down well with viewers. There’s absolutely nothing wrong to laugh some stress off your troubled soul, and to spend 97 feel good minutes thinking of nothing more than how these girls will triumph over, err, evil at the end of the day.
Besides, this reviewer has learnt a few decent lessons from this Playboy bunny. Did you know that a 27 year old bunny is actually, sigh, 59 in Bunny Years? Such harsh facts of life, we hear you say. Did you know that the eyes are, wow, the nipples of the face? Such wise words, we hear you think aloud. With such witticism littered across this movie, it makes the viewing experience a fluffily enjoyable one.
And who won’t love the way Faris portrays this adorably cute bunny? Ah, just judging by the way she speaks, it doesn’t matter whether she is 59 or 95 in Bunny Years, she can stay in this reviewer’s humble HDB apartment as long as she likes. The supporting cast of the sorority girls (Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, etc.) are fun to watch too, with their antics milking laughs every other minute. Only Colin Hanks as Faris’ love interest is somewhat bland in this concoction.
So, despite the lack of, err, excitement in that particular department (it’s rated PG, what was this reviewer expecting?), this movie is still worth your time.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains a quite a fair bit of bonus features. First up, there are 12 minutes of 10 Deleted Scenes which feature more of Faris’ Bunny sweetness – watch how she gets lost when she first leaves Playhouse Mansion and other hilarious situations when she rehearses for a date.
Another generous inclusion of the 12 Featurettes with a total runtime of 53 minutes will please those who purchase this DVD. Highlights include Anna Faris: House Mum where the star talks about how appreciative she is of Happy Madison, the guys behind this movie; Colin Hanks: Mr. Nice Guy where Faris complements Tom Hank’s son’s good natured ness; Look Who Dropped By which showcases the cameos made by sports stars like Sean Salisbury, Matt Leinart (if you watch American football) and a certain basketball celebrity Shaquille O’Neal.
There is also a two minute Music Video: “I Know What Boys Are Like” and two straight to video Previews of Centre Stage: Turn It Up and Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer complements the pinkish feel of the movie, and can be watched in its English, Portuguese, Spanish or Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital audio soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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