#62: Smile
Release Date: September 30th, 2022
Format: Streaming (Hulu)
Written by: Parker Finn
Directed by: Parker Finn
3 Stars
Smile scared the shit out of me. The writer/director, Parker Finn, did this by creating both an atmosphere of horror and an unpredictability in the jump scares, which never feel cheap or unearned. It really is an effective movie in its execution.
I hate to be overly critical of what should be a fun horror movie, but if the movie is going to tread into serious subject matter, I suppose it should be evaluated seriously. I mean, this is a movie that uses mental illness and suicide as a gimmicky plot device, and while I wasn’t offended, I can imagine some viewers would be.
I was also hoping that the movie had a twist ending, and that the whole thing was actually about schizophrenia rather than some possessive demon, and that our protagonist, Rose, actually only thinks she sees people smiling. Instead Finn’s evil spirits and possessions are very much real, and he borrows the third acts from The Ring and It Follows (#51) for his resolution.
But enough with the criticism. Actually, one last critique: I didn’t like the set design. Do I take the time to look up who the set designer was just to shit on them? Let’s do it: Thomas Berardi. And according to IMDB, this is the only movie he’s worked on. That makes sense. This is one of those instances where the set designer is doing too much. No detective has that cool of an apartment, that spotless and refined. And Rose’s house? It’s the most modern and beautiful house I’ve ever seen, set in an enchanting, peaceful wooded suburb. It’s screams insecurity on the part of the set design, where they try to make the sets remarkable, rather than create sets that service the characters and the story.
Okay, I think I’m finally done criticizing this thing. I really do think this is a scary, fun movie. And the lead actress, Sosie Bacon, is very good. She has a unique physical screen presence and she gives a performance that elevates the entire movie, since she’s in virtually every single scene. Because of her chops and her decidedly non-Hollywood-female-leading-role looks, I figured she was some no-name actress from Ohio who snagged the lead role in Finn’s low budget short film, Laura Hasn’t Slept (on which Smile is based), and just had that much talent to break into the industry. It wasn’t until later that my friend Bryson told me that she’s the daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. Hollywood nepo babies strike again.
And here I am getting critical. I think it’s this Mariners’ losing streak that’s putting me in a shitty mood.
See Smile. It’s a great horror movie.
