Smiley Face
Directed by Gregg Araki
Starring Anna Faris, John Krasinski, Adam Brody, Danny Masterson
Rated R
First Look Studios
Available on Jan. 8, 2008

Smiley Face chronicles an out of the ordinary day in the life of incorrigible stoner Jane as she ponders how she got from Point A — her apartment — to Point Z — the top of a ferris wheel conversing with the disembodied voice of Roscoe Lee Browne.

From there we flashback to earlier that morning in Jane’s apartment where we learn that thanks to the residual checks from a soda commercial she did nearly a year ago, the struggling actress can now waste away her days on her couch playing computer games and taking bong hits.

We also learn that although Jane is a longtime pothead, she still gets the munchies. It’s during one of these munchies outbursts that she discovers the cupcakes left in the refrigerator by her creepy roommate Steve (Danny Masterson) for a Sci-Fi convention he’s hosting. Although the innocuous-looking snacks are clearly labeled “Do NOT eat! This means YOU Jane,” Jane proceeds to rapidly devour every cupcake — all 20 of them.

Unbeknownst to Jane, those cupcakes were laced with marijuana. When the realization of her situation hits her (and oh does it hit her), the severely impaired Jane creates a 4-point plan to help her accomplish her goals for the rest of her day, which involves baking replacement cupcakes, going on an audition, paying the electric bill to avoid turn-off, and meeting her weed dealer (Adam Brody) across town at Venice Beach’s Hemp Festival. When her plans inevitably go awry, Jane enlists the help of Steve’s best friend Brevin (John Krasinski) — an even nerdier guy who’s hopelessly smitten with Jane — and gets some unexpected assistance from some of the other people she unexpectedly meets during her crazy journey.

I’ve been around a lot of potheads in my lifetime, and I’ve even freelanced at the offices of High Times magazine, but I’ve never seen anyone as wasted as Jane who lived to tell about it. While watching Smiley Face, I felt like I was stoned!

I’ll be honest, on first viewing of director Gregg Araki‘s Smiley Face, I laughed maybe a few times at the beginning, but eventually, I began to wonder what was so reportedly “mind-bogglingly funny” about this movie. I thought that maybe I actually need to be stoned to appreciate the humor. Then I casually watched the movie a few more times and realized that I really like this movie.

I laughed out loud during Jane’s “C’mon Frank, you know I love surprises” audition and her “C’mon man, it’s gonna be fucking transformative!” phone plea to Brevin, as well as the “Still shitting!” bathroom scene and of course, the run-in with local police. Her impassioned “generous benefit package” speech at the sausage plant made me want to stand up and applaud. And I really liked how the filmmakers somehow managed to use Jane’s knowledge of Marxism to fit in a subplot involving the Communist Manifesto (think how National Treasure used the Declaration of Independence, but on a much smaller scale).

Anna Faris singlehandedly and successfully held up this movie — no small feat in a genre dominated by male buddy flicks. Faris managed to retain her likability in a role where she was not only playing it stoned the entire time, but was also wreaking havoc wherever she went. And that’s saying a lot, since Jane’s so burnt she makes the dudes from Dude, Where’s My Car? look responsible.

But don’t mistake Jane’s irresponsibility with stupidity. Even in her extremely impaired state, Jane can argue the differences between Reaganomics and capitalism; expound on Marxism, and organize (or at least attempt to organize) a union for the workers at a sausage plant.

While Faris definitely shines here, many other familiar faces pop in throughout the Dylan Haggerty-penned Smiley Face, like prominent counter-culture actors That ’70s Show‘s Danny Masterson and John Cho, of stoner-friendly fare Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (Cho plays one of the sausage plant workers along with Danny Trejo). Comedian Brian Posehn has a cameo, and Happy Days alumni Marion Ross also has a bit part, as does 40-Year-Old Virgin‘s Jane Lynch as the casting director.

But it’s really The Office‘s John Krasinski role as the reliable Brevin that I wished had been lengthier. If they made the sequel “Smiley Face: Brevin Goes To The Dentist,” I’d totally be into it. I loved how REO Speedwagon’s “Keep On Loving You” or Styx’s “Lady” plays every time the lovesick Brevin glances upon Jane. Whenever these two characters are on scene together, you can’t help but root for them to get together.

While Smiley Face did not get a wide theater release (actually, it’s only playing in ONE theater in the U.S.), it did make the rounds on the festival circuit (Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto among them). The DVD release contains little more than the feature film. There’s a short theatrical trailer and a barely 10-minute “Making Of” featurette, with interviews from the filmmakers and cast expressing why they were so drawn to do this movie.

Smiley Face has earned a spot amongst the best stoner comedies and definitely deserves repetitive viewings, whether of the impaired or the unimpaired kind.