The House Bunny

It feels strange to write this review in February 2023. The Playboy clubs and their bunny waitresses all but disappeared in the US in 1986. As an attempted revival, a Playboy club opened in New York City in September 2018 but folded in November 2019. The last centerfold was Kristy Garett from the Republic of Georgia as Miss February 2016. Even the sanitized version of the magazine had its last print issue on March 17, 2020. Hugh Hefner died more than five years ago, on 27 September 2017. He had sold the Playboy mansion West in Holmby CA one year before he died with the proviso he could live there until his death. The mansion itself went through tough times afterwards.So, why am I writing this review? Because I have recently become an aficionado of the films of Anna Faris, after viewing the amazing 2007 “Smiley Face” (which I have reviewed elsewhere on Amazon). “The House Bunny” has become a cult favorite also, although not to the extent of “Smiley Face”. Anna Faris was thirty-one years old when she did “House Bunny” in 2008. Among her costars are the future A-lister Emma Stone, then just one year into her film career, in a frumpy role, Tom Hanks’ son Colin, in his third film, as well as Rumer Willis at twenty, Bruce and Demi’s daughter, in one of her first films without one of her parents. Some portions of “House Bunny” were shot at the Playboy mansion and Hugh Hefner, at eighty-two, shows up as himself in the film.Anna Faris’ character, Shelley Darlington, introduces herself as “My name is Shelley. Now I live in the Playboy mansion, and this is where I want to live happily ever after”. The first twenty minutes of the film sound as they might have been written by Hugh Hefner as a premature epitaph (maybe they were). Shelly continues with “Being a centerfold is the highest most prestigious honor there is” (!?!). On life at the mansion: “Oh, it’s paradise. We’re just one big family. I am so happy. Why would I want to live anywhere else?”. At the store, after shopping with three other playmates - on the mansion’s account - as a prelude to her twenty-seventh birthday bash, “Aren’t we just the luckiest girls in the whole world?” Salesgirl: “Yes, you are”.The morning after her big birthday bash, things turn sour. Shelley is handed a note, later shown to be a fake, presented as coming from Hefner, asking her to leave the mansion immediately. Unable to reach Hefner for verification, Shelley leaves. After a few days of living out of her car, she ends up as the housemother to the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority of some college. This sorority is down to seven members, all socially challenged in various ways, and is about to lose its house. The rest of the film shows Shelley remaking the sorority and its members into a social success with the males of the species. At the end of the film, we get the requisite nod to superficial feminism, i.e., the confirmation that appearances are transitory and that it’s the inner beauty that counts, and, of course, the sorority gains enough additional members to keep the house.Let’s face it, most of the film is silly. Even if you are just a run-of-the-mill feminist, there is no way you will like it, unless endowed with a well-functioning sense of humor. By the way, it was not written by some old male chauvinist pig but by two young female writers, Kristen Smith and Karen McCullah. There are some excellent individual lines in the film. Among them, “The eyes are the nipples of the face” and “A brothel? Oh, I am not looking to make soup”. And who can suppress a smile as Shelley describes her humble career in the Playboy magazine by “Just a couple of small pictorials. Girls of the Midwest. Girls with GEDs. Girls of Charlie Sheen.”I am not the only fan of Anna Faris’ films. Dana Stevens headlines her 8/21/2008 review of The House Bunny with “SAVE FARIS – When will someone give Anna Faris the role she deserves?”.The strength of Anna Faris’ performance, in this film as well as in others, is that she is not only a top-tier natural comedian but that she gives it her all, whatever the quality of her lines.PS. I ordered the 2018 remake of “Overboard”, also with Anna Faris. Looking forward to it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MOVIE

This movie is one of my favorite. The movie came seal, no damage and the picture is great would buy again once mine break from watching it to much lol

My daughter ordered this because I was out of town. It better have been good! 😂 Really tho- I think I have seen this before and it was funny. But why charge a movie when we have Netflix! lol

This movie aged like fine wine, love me some Emma Stone, Anna Faris, Rumor Willis and Kat Dennings.

Favorite for this 80s baby

I love this movie from when it came out. Not sure the newer generation would get a lot of the references. But I can watch it over and over.

This is a movie I watched when I was younger. I was happy to see it available on this streaming platform. My boyfriend and I laughed throughout the entire movie. It was his first time ever watching it.

Extremely funny movie, Shelly, successful bunny girl living in a designer mansion with her fellow models. Shelly turns 27 and wakes up to breakfast and 'a letter.' The letter tells her she is no longer required and has to vacate the mansion in 2 hours. Poor shelly, forced to live in a car, that is until she is stopped by a cop who mistakenly thinks she is drunk and so askes her to 'blow.' Through a misunderstanding about what the cop meant by 'blow' Shelly finds herself arrested and in a police cell. Upon release she seeks employment working as a 'house mother' at a university student house... Unfortunately, it's a big come down for Shelly, because these girls are geeks! Can she transform them into beautiful girls whom guys want to date? Watch it and see!

I bought this film for my wife, as it seemed to position itself as a chick flick (I assumed there would be enough content to keep my interest as we watched it). As it was, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is smart, funny, and a little deeper than its title might suggest. The blu-ray image was superb - as good as any I have seen. The premise of the film revolves around a Playboy bunny leaving the mansion and becoming the House Mother to a small group of apparently helpless and unpopular girls. If they don't get more pledges to their house soon, then their house is history. Enter the House Bunny, who gives them a makeover. So far, so predictable. However, this is where the film turns into something more interesting, as the house girls turn increasingly bitchy and our heroine is summoned back to the mansion to fulfil her dream of being a Playmate. Will she leave her house to follow her own dreams and, if she does, will they get the pledges they need? Watch it and find out. Oh, and my wife would never forgive me if I didn't mention the love story that is also integral to the film - the will she or won't she routine. The film left me with the intended feel good factor and a deeper appreciation of all things Playboy - Heff is a lucky guy - but this is a chick flick so I probably can't say that.

Love this film, Anna Farris is adorable and hilarious as ever. Me and my partner are still saying *low pitched voice* "Hello Natalie" lol. Still funny even though I've watched it loads.

I love this film it's so good i can watch it over and over and i specifically like the bits with Holly, Hef, Kendra & Bridget in it although they are only featured 3 times for a small amount of time but im a huge fan of 'The Girls Next Door' If you watch one of 'The Girls Next Door' episodes it shows you the making of the house bunny ect..! So good. <3

Great film - laugh out loud!