Your New "Riding the Bus in Los Angeles" Spectacular

Smiley Face (2007)
directed by Gregg Araki
rating: 2 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Netflix

There's an odor of privilege to Smiley Face, as if no one involved in the production had to worry about finding the finances to make a movie in the city with friends. The smaller vignettes should be funnier, the random encounters with people on the street warmer, and the general sense of worthiness in an average day more pronounced. I mean, the apartment in Half Baked might be a mess, but at least it's colorful.

Jane F., née Anna Farris - who else? - lives almost anonymously, in a bedroom with white paint and nothing on the walls, nothing in the fridge, and very little to do. But someone who likes drugs as much as Jane does, and for all the right reasons, would be more of a gas to be around. She wouldn't be sad, or pathetic; she'd be great. Anna Farris is a great, funny actress, who makes the most of a role that doesn't really ask her to do anything but mug. I was told that Smiley Face was Half Baked for girls, but let's be honest - Half Baked is for everybody. Expect a lot less and you'll be pleasantly surprised.