College Times

Media Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon

Actors say comedy is harder than drama the same way comedians say drama is harder than comedy. This rule, apparently, does not apply to Anna Faris. Not since Gilda Radner, or dare we say, Lucille Ball, has an actress so perfectly captured comedic tone and made a career for herself in what is typically thought of as a boys club.

It's because of Faris that "House Bunny" succeeds as well as it does. From her kind-hearted but air-headed persona as a Playboy bunny, to her misguided sexual tips, to the running gag about Faris' memory technique where she says a person's name like "The Exorcist," this is truly Anna's show.

There's still plenty aside from Faris to like about the "The House Bunny," a new comedy about a former Playboy bunny who's kicked out of the mansion because she's 27. That's 56 in bunny years.

Homeless and dejected, Faris' Shelley winds up at a college campus only to fall in with a misfit group of sorority girls who are close to losing their house. With a bit of spit and shine, Shelley coaches the girls on flirting, getting boys, throwing parties and feeling better about themselves - the cornerstones of any Playboy associate.

A lot of the movie feels like "Animal House," for girls. There are requisite nerds, jocks, mean girls and incredibly aloof administrators all make their rounds. However, there's something to be said for skirting around these archetypes without full on copy-catting from other movies.

The fact that Shelley has no problem flaunting her sexuality, whether it's a mistake BJ for a police officer, attempting to recreate Marilyn Monroe's famous dress scene or the value of a car wash, adds a bit of edge to her overall fluffy demeanor. She's not slutty, just doing what she thinks is expected.

Emma Stone hits as much as she misses as the socially inept head of the sorority. She's funny when she's awkward and it's a nice departure from the tough, sarcastic roles she's taken so far. Of all the young faces, Stone does the best with what she's given.

There's plenty of room here to debate the whole female power angle, and some of the characters question Shelley's methods of using sexuality to get what she wants, idea of beauty, themes on love and all that other gobbledegook. At one point, Faris tells one of the young girls that in order to feel good on the inside, she must look good on the outside. But really, there's no point in discussing silly ideals in a comedy like this. It doesn't always hit the right notes, but when it does, you'll be glad you saw "The House Bunny."

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