Want to make a crap film better? Just call Anna Faris. For years now, the gifted actress has toiled away in a number of awful comedies, despite her beautiful looks and amazing comic timing. The comedian has even proved her acting chops in more serious fare such as 'Lost In Translation' and 'Brokeback Mountain' but Faris is yet to receive the standout role of her career. In the meantime though, I've loved watching Faris somehow elevate awful material into something that is at least watchable and is even occasionally brilliant. Someone give her a decent part already!
To celebrate the talent of Anna Faris, I've decided to share her five standout roles with you now, so join me to relive the highlights of a career which is constantly held back by weak scripts and horrendous directing.
Just Friends (2005)
First up is a Ryan Reynolds vehicle about a man who was once an obese high school loser but is now a trim and successful young man looking for love. Faris randomly plays an obsessive pop star who develops a crush on Reynolds but ultimately loses out to his best friend, played by Amy Smart. In what is an otherwise dreadful comedy, Faris shines with her crazy mannerisms and hilarious singing voice. Every scene that doesn't feature Faris is just painful to watch though but what bugs me most about this film is how Reynolds ultimately goes for Blandy McBlanderson instead of the admittedly mental but otherwise endearing pop star. Give me crazy over boring any day!
The House Bunny (2008)
Anna Faris shines again with a dumb character, this time in the lead as a Playboy bunny who leaves Heff and the mansion to join an unpopular sorority house. Her mission is to help the nerdy girls inside get laid but while it might be hard to believe that stars such as Emma Stone and Kat Dennings would ever have guy troubles, the whole cast play it convincingly enough. I actually really enjoyed 'The House Bunny' as a guilty pleasure but whats disappoints me is how Stone and Dennings moved onto bigger things while Faris continues to go largely unrecognised as a brilliant comedian in her own right.
What's Your Number? (2011)
And here we go again, with a high concept rom-com about a girl who revisits her old flames so the number of people she's slept with doesn't get too high. Anna Faris is as incredible as ever in the lead role but an average script holds her back once more. However, if another actress had played the role of Ally, then I think things could have been a lot worse. Lines that probably weren't that funny on paper made me laugh out loud when Faris put her quirky spin on them and despite myself, I actually really enjoyed this film. If another great performance from Faris doesn't do it for you though then just watch it for Chris Evans. Seriously. You'll thank me later.
Lost In Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola's breakthrough indie 'Lost In Translation' was a huge hit for the two main leads, who went on to bigger and better things so it's easy to forget how brilliant Anna Faris was in her small supporting role. Once again, Faris is playing the ditzy character that she does so well but what impressed me was that the role also demonstrated her acting ability at a time when she was only really known for 'Scary Movie'. Aside from this and a small part in 'Brokeback Mountain', Faris has not played many dramatic roles of note so far but this is definitely something that the actress should explore more to gain the acclaim that she deserves.
Scary Movie 1-4 (2000-2006)
Sure they're crap but there's something really enjoyable about the 'Scary Movie' series if you just accept the films for their stupidity. As loveable accident-prone Cindy, Anna Faris has been integral to the success of the series and the idea of them making a fifth installment without her is sacrilege. Why don't they just do a new 'Harry Potter' without Daniel Radcliffe or a new 'Alien' without Sigourney Weaver? Oh wait, they kind of did that. Regardless of what you think about 'Scary Movie' though, the series has been a key platform for Faris and if it wasn't for these films, then we probably wouldn't even know who she is. Fingers crossed for a surprise cameo in number five!
So what do you think of my favourite Anna Faris roles? Does Faris deserve more acclaim? And has she done better or are these the best roles she's done? Let me know what you think by commenting, liking and sharing below. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment