Smile
Smile is in theaters at the time of writing. Rated R. Common Sense says 16.
STORY: B-
Therapist Dr. Rose Cotter learns the hard way that just because someone smiles at you, it doesn’t mean they want to be your friend.
There’s a decision every horror story must make. Do you want to say something profound about the world? Or do you just want to scare the innards out of people? Smile dips its creepy toes into the messy, fearful world of trauma. But it consistently shrinks back from the edge. Smile feels like it was made by a committee of jump scares rather than an interest in reaching people in pain. We shouldn’t think any less of the film for making that choice - sometimes you just want to scare people. That’s great and that’s enough, but I would love to have seen what it could have said if given the chance.
We still do get quite a scary story. There are a few unforgettable scenes (Mustache!). But the story’s greatest feat is how it skillfully toes the line between reality and nightmare. You know those movies full of scenes where it’s obvious that what you’re watching is only happening in the character’s head? Scenes like those are total party poopers. Smile does a great job at fooling you and keeping you on edge, even after you think you’ve got it figured out.
PEOPLE: B
Half the film is filled with actors who speak like they’re reciting lines from a script. In other words, they don’t come across as genuine people or characters. Of course Sosie Bacon’s (13 Reasons Why’s Skye Miller, and daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick) performance looks amazing when she’s surrounded by a weaker supporting cast.
But the other half of the cast are tremendous actors. And Sosie’s massive acting chops don’t scamper away like a whiny chihuahua whenever she’s on screen with them. Take Caitlin Stasey, whose physicality will terrify you on multiple levels. Or master veteran actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things’s Chief Powell), whose steamroller of a reaction when he finds out who Rose is would blow most actors off the soundstage. Bacon completely holds her own against both of them. She anchors the movie like a boss. I’m excited to see what projects will be coming her way after this performance.
FILM GEEK STUFF: A
I can’t say enough about how well this movie is made. Where to start?
Shall I start with the creepy sounds hiding inside the transitions? The sound of a slicing knife as the shower turns on. The deathly scream nestled inside a car horn. And the towering, fantastic fake out of Rose chowing down on a cheeseburger.
Perhaps I should start with the movie’s caboodle of upside down shots? Sure, spinning the camera upside down is a pretty obvious symbol to show the way a person’s life has been turned upside down. But the inverted gray skies always mutate into an unstable ground that Rose has to navigate. It looks beautiful every time.
Or maybe I’ll start with the bevy of closeup shots. Director Parker Finn and cinematographer Charlie Sarroff often position the actors’ eyes so that they almost look straight at the camera, but not quite. It’s off by half a degree. It’s not bad aim or poor camera control. It’s an intentional move, designed to fill you with the feeling that something’s off. It also sneakily symbolizes the way these characters aren’t quite able to face up to the things they need to confront.
Actually, I’ll start end with the gore. The gore is glorious.
TRAUMA: C+
I think this film is still ultimately about trauma. As I said, it doesn’t lean in as far as I wished it did, but I think the film’s ending - if read a certain way - still has something interesting to say about it. (NO SPOILERS, don’t worry)
I’ve always thought of trauma as something that eats away at you. But what if we look at trauma as something we eat? Not like a bowl of oatmeal or orange slices, but like a massively processed, highly-unhealthy-for-you happy meal? And that we keep feeding it to each other? It’s an intriguing angle and a more hopeful lens to look at trauma through than the one I’ve always used.
FINAL COMMENTS:
If Smile had done the deep dive into trauma, I think it would be talked about in the same way we talk about Get Out. Instead, it’s an above average horror film that will gladly reward those who bite into it deeply. It may not leave you smiling as you walk out of the theater, but it’s good horror and a great time.