THE HOUSE BUNNY; Comedy 6/10

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Oct 13, 2008

ANNA FARIS triumphs as a Playboy bunny with a heart of gold.

Every time she totters into shot on outrageously high heels, we can't help but smile, falling head over heels in love with her innocent character, who believes that "kindness is just love with its work boots on".

Without the actress's impeccable comic timing and her boundless energy, The House Bunny would be heading straight to DVD.

Shelley Darlington (Faris) is one of the most popular residents at the Playboy mansion, winning the affections of all the other girls - everyone, except jealous rival Cassandra (Mazur).

Made to believe that Hugh Hefner no longer requires her services, Shelley tearfully flees the mansion and lands the position of house mother to the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority, which is threatened with closure unless it can attract 30 pledges by the end of the semester.

The dowdy house residents - Carrie Mae (Goodman), Harmony (McPhee), Joanne (Willis), Lilly (Williams), Mona (Dennings), Natalie (Stone) and Tanya (Makkouk) - are resigned to their fate, but Shelley inspires the girls to pull out all the stops to ensure Zeta Alpha Zeta doesn't fall victim to the bulldozers.

In the process, the former Bunny wins the heart of nursing home manager Oliver (Hanks), but Shelley frets that she isn't smart enough for him.

Should she undergo a makeover too, by cramming at the college library?

The House Bunny is a guilty pleasure - a harmless piece of comic fluff that tickles our fancy despite myriad, glaring shortcomings.