Alternative to What: Smiley Face (2007)

Anna Faris

Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified. 

THIS WEEK: 

Smiley Face (2007) 

- Alternative To - 

Tammy (2014)

There are two ways of looking at the modern age of comedy. Everyone should be glad that there is a plethora of female talent that is getting recognized for their work. However, it also means that some performers are forced to do middling work. This weekend, Oscar nominated Melissa McCarthy returns to the screen with director/co-writer Ben Falcone in tow for Tammy, which is a road trip movie in which women let loose and do a lot of ribald silliness. It is an infallible structure that shouldn't really fail as long as the jokes land. Maybe the critics are taking it too harshly, but it could also just be that McCarthy's material isn't all that strong? Or is it that the physical humor is familiar and that she doesn't too many new cards? I am not going to dissect that.

However, long before Bridesmaids made McCarthy a star, Falcone had a bit part in the 2007 stoner comedy Smiley Face. Even if the approaches are way different, the general goals are the same: a female protagonist doing crazy antics. In fact, the parallels seem to be uncanny, especially with this coming on the heels of actress Anna Faris' bigger hits, including four Scary Movie installments. She also played a supporting role in the Oscar winning picture Brokeback Mountain, though her role was nowhere near memorable or prominent as McCarthy's in Bridesmaids.

However, Smiley Face does feel like it has to be her Tammy. McCarthy and Falcone made Tammy with intent of it being their personal project. On the flip side, Faris had made a career out of playing dumb girls in a pop culture obsessed landmine. What better way to exploit this fact than make one of her defining films with the stoner comedy Smiley Face, which may be a little too niche of a recommendation, but she fits perfectly into a male-centric genre as Jane who eats pot brownies and gets into arguments with the voice-over guy. It is her deadpan performance that makes all of the madcap, which is very illogical and sporadic, something of wonderment for a comedy.

There isn't much of a story here. It is a series of moments in which the stoned Jane interacts with a strange cast of characters in bizarre situations. Even if the content's drug use may be off putting for some, its humor comes from a place of ingenuity. With a cast that includes Adam Brody, Jane Lynch, Brian Posehn, Danny Trejo, and Jim Rash, it is a mixture of names that have since gone on to great things. They all bring their strengths to the film and while it isn't a particularly great movie, the laughs work in a subdued way akin to other 00's stoner film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. If there is one strength, it is the characters that surround the feature. It also helps that you get several inspired moments similar to the "I love lasagna" bit above. Again, Faris makes it work in ways that she would go on to make her patented style. This isn't her best performance, but it reflects exactly why we should care about her as a comedian.
It also helps that the McCarthy/Faris parallels even go further into the land of TV. Both currently work on three-camera sitcoms on CBS. Where McCarthy is on Mike & Molly, Faris is on the slightly more intriguing Mom. The show is a dark, questionable blend of dramatic elements with crass humor and family dysfunction. The show is inevitably successful in being strange, even if it isn't particularly great. Even if that show deals with alcoholism and pregnancy, Smiley Face may still be a little too vulgar for some audiences. Even then, the Scary Movie actress has progressed rather nicely over the years, and with Smiley Face, she transitioned into one of the most effective dumb blondes currently working. It is hard to know what makes a great dumb blonde, but Faris knows the roundabouts. 
Much like Tammy, the impressions of Smiley Face won't likely be long lasting as the great American comedy. These actresses (and Falcone) have each done better work. Even then, their niche into playing stereotypes continues to evolve and land them in interesting parts. Whereas Faris is further along in her career, McCarthy is just starting to have some traction. It would be interesting to see if there's any further parallels, especially if Tammy becomes McCarthy's Smiley Face and the dumb humor makes it into a cult film for generations of the future. Either way, you're in for a strange, haphazard treat.