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Director: Parker Finn
Writer: Parker Finn
Cast: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey with Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan
Runtime: 1 hour, 55 mins
Rated R for strong violent content and grisly images, and language.
Dr. Rose Cotter is a workaholic devoted to her profession as a psychiatrist. Opting to work in a county clinic instead of with wealthy clientele, she’d become accustomed to a fast-paced environment where anything can happen. She thought she was prepared for anything, but nothing could prepare her for witnessing the suicide of a patient. After witnessing the horrific death of a young patient she was unable to help, the good Dr. comes face to face with the same affliction. In a race against time, Dr. Cotter must find a cure or meet certain death, with a smile. As horror movies go Smile has got to be the creepiest we’ve seen in a while. Filled with random jump scares and gruesome death scenes the film takes you on a whirlwind of emotions while witnessing the downward spiral of a young doctor. In just a few short scenes the straight-laced Rose Cotter morphs from doctor to reluctant patient as she exhibits the behaviors she used to treat. At first glance and given the name, we expected the me too movement parable about women smiling more but this was more like an allegory on shared trauma and how quickly one person’s trauma becomes another’s. Each death ends in a creepy smile, not unlike the forced smiles of the mentally unstable, but functioning. Though we’ve attributed some introspective deeper meaning to the film make no mistake this isn’t a psycho- drama it is a wildly imaginative horror spectacle riddled with jump scares, creepy circumstances, gore, and depictions of self-harm. We enjoyed the wild ride into madness but were totally disappointed with the lackluster ending. It wasn’t the predictability or the eye-rolling setup for a sequel. It was the giant, scantily clad personification of trauma in the party city wig. Terrifying from a distance but just a weirdo in a bad wig the closer it got. SMILE IS IN THEATRES AND DOLBY CINEMA ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2022