Main Cast: Anna Faris, Roscoe Lee Browne, Danny Masterson, Ben Falcone, Adam Brody
Release Year: 2007
Country: US
Run Time: 84 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
One woman's day goes all to pot in this resinous comedy from independent filmmaker Gregg Araki. Jane (Anna Faris) is a college dropout and aspiring actress who suffers from a certain lack of ambition, doubtless reinforced by her fondness for marijuana. One morning, Jane wakes with a busy day ahead of her -- she has a big audition, she has to pay the electric bill on her apartment to prevent the power from being shut off, and she needs to pick up some pot after paying her debt to her dealer -- and decides to take the edge off her anxieties by getting a little stoned. Under the influence, the cupcakes her roommate Steve (Danny Masterson) has made for his friends to enjoy at the weekend's Sci-Fi convention look too good to resist, and she gobbles them down. What Jane doesn't realize until it's too late is that the baked goods were laced with some especially strong marijuana, and what starts as a pleasant buzz turns into a world-class high that refuses to go away. As Jane struggles to make her way through the day, fate keeps throwing her into strange and surreal situations involving police officers, Steve's lovesick best friend, and a rare original manuscript of The Communist Manifesto. Smiley Face also stars Adam Brody, John Krasinski, Jane Lynch, Michael Hitchcock, John Cho and Roscoe Lee Browne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The venerable genre of the stoner comedy gets one of its lamest entries ever in Smiley Face, a would-be Homer's Odyssey of zany mishaps by a pothead even Tommy Chong would look down on. Indie director Gregg Araki has made some interesting (if uneven) films about early-20s dead-enders (The Doom Generation, Nowhere), but Smiley Face falls well short of that minimal standard. Since Anna Faris is a likeable actress, even a single logical decision during the course of the narrative might have taken steps toward winning our affections. Instead, her Jane tramples on anyone who tries to help, and stoops to clichéd "high behavior" that would have seemed exaggerated even when the first stoner comedies were written. (And shouldn't Araki have just committed to hitting us over the head by calling her Mary Jane?) If this were a dramatic cautionary tale about drugs, that would be one thing. But in a loopy comedy, she needs to show some possibility of redemption, else she's just a pitiable train wreck. The peripheral characters also fall flat, notably a stiff John Krasinski (The Office) inexplicably cast as a nerdish dullard -- a far cry from Jim Halpert, the thinking woman's hunk. The only effective secondary performance belongs to Adam Brody as Jane's dealer, who supplies the ounce of weed with which she hopes to replace the pot cupcakes she "mistakenly" scarfed down. But by upending the entire bag -- and 12 sticks of butter -- into a frying pan, then dumping the resulting mess in the sink, she fritters away the first of many golden opportunities to save herself. Not to mention any possibility of leaving the viewer with something to smile about. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Brian Posehn - Bus Driver; Rick Hoffman - Angry Face; Matthew Evans - Bobby; Davenia McFadden - Bus Passenger; Joey "Coco" Diaz - Security Guard; Jim Rash - Casting Assistant; Jayma Mays - Actress in Waiting Room; Jane Lynch - Casting Director; John Krasinski - Brevin; Kai Cofer - Man with Weird Beard; Michael Shamus Wiles - Officer Jones; Marion Ross - Shirley; Michael Hitchcock - Laundry Room Man; Robert Michael Morris - Man Walking Dog; Razzie - Hercules; John Cho - Mikey; Danny Trejo - Albert; Richard Riehle - Mr. Spencer; Natashia Williams - Motorcycle Rider; Scott Thompson - Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson; Chad Mountain - Marijuana Jesus; David "Gruber" Allen - Hippie #1; James C. Mathis, III - Hippie #2; Dylan Haggerty - Ferris Wheel Attendant; William Zabka - Prison Guard; Carrot Top - Himself
Credit
Helen Harwell - Art Director, Azadeh Khanedani - Associate Producer, Marco Dennett - Boom Operator, Ace Williams - Boom Operator, Monika Mikkelsen - Casting, Hans Christian Ritter - Co-producer, Alix Hester - Costume Designer, Amy Armstrong - First Assistant Director, Gregg Araki - Director, Gregg Araki - Editor, John Larena - Editor, Stuart Burkin - Executive Producer, Jörg Westerkamp - Executive Producer, Thomas Becker - Executive Producer, Beau J. Genot - Executive Producer, H. Jason Beck - Executive Producer, Russell D. Gremillot - Location Manager, David Kitay - Composer (Music Score), Tracy McKnight - Musical Direction/Supervision, John Larena - Production Designer, Shawn Kim - Cinematographer, Gregg Araki - Producer, Steve Golin - Producer, Alix Madigan-Yorkin - Producer, Henry Winterstern - Producer, Kevin Turen - Producer, David Kitay - Recording, David Kitay - Sound Mixer, Coleman Metts - Sound Mixer, Steven Avila - Sound/Sound Designer, Trip Block - Sound/Sound Designer, Sophia Crawford - Stunts, Minerva Adams - Stunts, Louis Simon - Stunts Coordinator, Dylan Haggerty - Screenwriter, David Alexander Davidson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Eric Reuveni - Sound Effects Editor, Peter Lago - Sound Effects Editor, Sarah J. Clifford - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Animal Savvy - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Richard Avalon - First Assistant Camera, Craig Keif - Gaffer, Nicole Dayton - Grip, Richard Martin Jacobson - Grip, Dan Robinson - Grip, Gary C. Beaird - Key Grip, Beau J. Genot - Post Production Supervisor, Lisa Looney - Production Supervisor, Ben Lewis - Properties Master, Mark Rozett - Re-Recording Mixer, Kelly Vandever - Re-Recording Mixer, Jan McWilliams - Script Supervisor, Christi Rickey - Second Assistant Director, Lacey Terrell - Still Photographer, Michael J. Fox - ADR Mixer, Christine Hawes - Assistant Costumer Designer, Andrew Gardiner - Assistant Location Manager, Joanna Lara - Assistant Production Coordinator, Dallas Hallam - Assistant Properties, Paul Marschall - Best Boy Electric, Eugene "Gino" Bergschneider - Best Boy Grip, Annie Wildmoser - Camera Loader, Gene Vassilaros - Casting Associate, Brian Miller - Dialogue Editor, George A. Wells - Dolly Grip, Andreas Burgess - Electrician, Ryan Lynch - Electrician, Background Players - Extra Casting, Irvin Gourge - Extra Casting, Adam DeCoster - Foley Artist, Rick Owens - Foley Artist, Stewart Nelsen - Foley Editor, Ben Whitver - Foley Editor, Helen Evans - Key Hairstylist, Tatiana E. Thorpe - Key Make-up, Justin Blecha - Leadman, Joseph K. Chen - Post Production Assistant, Sai-Bing Ho - Post Production Assistant, Karen Roberts - Production Accountant, Briana Walsh - Production Accountant, Michelle Carrier - Scenic Artist, Delfina Garfias - Second Assistant Camera, Elion Olson - Second Second Assistant Director, Sarah Geller - Set Dresser, Matthew Baker - Set Production Assistant, Rado Bily - Set Production Assistant, Michael Perrotti - Transportation Coordinator, Solventdreams - Visual Effects, Peggy Paola - Set Decorator, Hollywood Caterers. Inc. - Craft Service/Catering, Hugo Cortez - Craft Service/Catering, Brandie Valencia - Craft Service/Catering, Brian D. Hall - Driver, Hugo Cortez - Driver, Corey Dail - Driver, Angelo Loffredo - Driver, Greg Mauer - Foley Mixer, Eloy Lara, Jr. - Set Medic/First Aid, Tony Howell - Swing Gang, Richard MacFarlane - Swing Gang, Aaron Nakasiji - Swing Gang, Paul Ro - Swing Gang, Jessie Rush - Swing Gang, Aaron Smith - Swing Gang, Sally Cruickshank - Title Design, Alex Blatt - Assistant Editor, Marcus Hu - Assistant to the Director, Mary Ellen Blair - Producer's Assistant, Lindsay Culpepper - Producer's Assistant, Blake DeRoss - Producer's Assistant, Nadine Deckensatti - Producer's Assistant, Beth Newbauer - Producer's Assistant, Blake Addison - Carpenter, Matt Pennington - Carpenter, Craig Hilditch - Compositor, Aaron Peak - Lead Compositor
