On Screen / Linda Cook

Some bunny doesn’t like this

By Penelope Cook-Williams | Friday, August 29, 2008 | () comments

COLUMBIA PICTURES Anna Faris stars as a Playboy playmate-turned-house mother in “The House Bunny.” (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

>>> I’m a house rabbit.

That’s why my human — the one who shares my home with three other bunnies and one other human — decided I’d be perfect to write a review of “The House Bunny.”

My humans are members of the House Rabbit Society, which is a real organization that’s 20 years old. The group has hundreds of members who share their homes with bunnies like me. The two-legs in this group rescue us from being euthanized or kept in deplorable conditions, and they educate people about living with us: the best foods for us, the best kinds of homes for us, how we learn to socialize.

Well, I’m thumping mad and so is my human. I’m angry because there’s not one single bunny in this dreadful movie! Why did they even call it “The House Bunny?” There’s a cat and there’s even a little pig, but there’s no rabbit in sight. My human was upset because all these adolescent girls and teenagers were in the audience to see this show that’s a Happy Madison Production — that’s Adam Sandler’s company. Like many of his other movies, it’s degrading and sleazy, not funny.

Anna Faris stars as Shelley, a young woman who lives at the Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner and other young women who run around in skimpy outfits and the kinds of shoes normally worn by pole dancers. When she finds herself homeless, Shelley becomes a house mother to a failing sorority.

This is what she teaches the girls:

n Boys don’t like girls who are too smart.

n You need to act sexy all the time to attract boys.

n It’s very important to look sexy so you can fit in and be popular.

My human thinks that movies such as this, with all the sex talk, sleazy clothes and cheesecake, would have been rated R at one time. But this one’s rated PG-13, and it will attract a young audience. This is a vile movie that’s demeaning to the very young women it will attract. My human says its locker room humor grows tiresome after just a few minutes.

Oh, and my human says to point out that Colin Hanks, Tom’s son, and Rumer Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, are among the stars. My human says she really likes “Legally Blonde,” which was written by the same screenwriters, she doesn’t understand how they came up with this junk and that the stars deserve better. My human and I deserve better, too. We’re going to watch our DVD of “Harvey” again.

Linda Cook reviews movies for the Quad-City Times and KWQC-TV. Contact her at lcook@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.

“THE HOUSE BUNNY”

½ *

Running time: One hour and 40 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for foul language, sexual situations and partial nudity.