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At a psychiatric ward, [[psychiatrist]] Dr. Rose Cotter meets with Laura Weaver, a PhD student who had several days earlier witnessed her [[art history]] professor die by suicide. Laura claims that an entity taking the form of smiling people is telling her that she is going to die. Soon thereafter, Laura stumbles to the floor and begins screaming. After Rose calls for help, she sees Laura standing up and [[grinning]]. With a shard of a broken vase, Laura commits suicide by slitting her throat. Rose later sees her manic patient Carl grinning and shouting that Dr. Cotter is going to die. Rose calls for nurses to restrain him, only to see he was asleep the whole time. Concerned for Rose's mental well-being, her supervisor Dr. Morgan Desai gives her a week off.
At a psychiatric ward, [[psychiatrist]] Dr. Rose Cotter meets with Laura Weaver, a PhD student who had several days earlier witnessed her [[art history]] professor die by suicide. Laura claims that an entity taking the form of smiling people is telling her that she is going to die. Soon thereafter, Laura stumbles to the floor and begins screaming. After Rose calls for help, she sees Laura standing up and [[grinning]]. With a shard of a broken vase, Laura commits suicide by slitting her throat. Rose later sees her manic patient Carl grinning and shouting that Dr. Cotter is going to die. Rose calls for nurses to restrain him, only to see he was asleep the whole time. Concerned for Rose's mental well-being, her supervisor Dr. Morgan Desai gives her a week off.


The following days, the hallucinations continue, making Rose seem unhinged and dangerous to people around her, including her fiancé Trevor and sister Holly. At her nephew's birthday party, Rose's gift has been replaced by her dead cat, horrifying the children. She sees a party attendant grinning at her and falls onto a glass table, ending the party in chaos. She visits her former therapist, Dr. Madeline Northcott, who suggests that her problems stem from her abusive and mentally ill mother, whose death from an overdose she witnessed as a child.
The following days, the hallucinations continue, making Rose seem unhinged and dangerous to people around her, including her fiancé Trevor and sister Holly. At her nephew's birthday party, Rose's gift has been replaced by her dead cat, horrifying the children. She sees a party attendant grinning at her and falls onto a glass table, ending the party in chaos. She visits her former therapist, Dr. Madeline Northcott, who suggests that her problems stem from her abusive and mentally ill mother, whose death from an overdose she witnessed as a child.


Upon learning Laura's professor was grinning at her before his death, Rose visits his widow Victoria and learns he was affected after witnessing a woman die by suicide. Rose asks her ex-boyfriend Joel, a police detective, to go through police records. They find several cases where someone witnessed a suicide, then a few days later died by suicide in front of someone else, who continued the pattern.
Upon learning Laura's professor was grinning at her before his death, Rose visits his widow Victoria and learns he was affected after witnessing a woman die by suicide. Rose asks her ex-boyfriend Joel, a police detective, to go through police records. They find several cases where someone witnessed a suicide, then a few days later died by suicide in front of someone else, who continued the pattern.

Revision as of 14:22, 12 December 2022

Smile
The zipper of a partially open bodybag reveals the face of a woman with a rictus grin
Theatrical release poster
Directed byParker Finn
Written byParker Finn
Based onLaura Hasn't Slept
by Parker Finn
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCharlie Sarroff
Edited byElliot Greenberg
Music byCristobal Tapia de Veer
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • September 22, 2022 (2022-09-22) (Fantastic Fest)
  • September 30, 2022 (2022-09-30) (United States)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[1]
Box office$216.1 million[2][3]

Smile is a 2022 American psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn in his feature directorial debut, based on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept.[4] It stars Sosie Bacon as a therapist named Rose Cotter, who, after witnessing the bizarre suicide of a patient, goes through increasingly disturbing and daunting experiences, leading her to believe what she is experiencing is supernatural. It also stars Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan, as well as Caitlin Stasey playing the same character she played in the short film.

A feature adaptation of Finn's short was announced in June 2020, and the cast was added in October 2021. Filming began that month in New Jersey. Originally set for a streaming release through Paramount+, the studio opted to release the film theatrically after strong positive test screenings. It was made available for streaming through Paramount+ after its first 45 days in theaters. Smile had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2022, and was released in the United States on September 30, 2022, by Paramount Pictures.

Smile received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the visuals, themes and Bacon's performance, but criticized its jump scares. It was a box office success, grossing $216 million worldwide against a $17 million budget.

Plot

At a psychiatric ward, psychiatrist Dr. Rose Cotter meets with Laura Weaver, a PhD student who had several days earlier witnessed her art history professor die by suicide. Laura claims that an entity taking the form of smiling people is telling her that she is going to die. Soon thereafter, Laura stumbles to the floor and begins screaming. After Rose calls for help, she sees Laura standing up and grinning. With a shard of a broken vase, Laura commits suicide by slitting her throat. Rose later sees her manic patient Carl grinning and shouting that Dr. Cotter is going to die. Rose calls for nurses to restrain him, only to see he was asleep the whole time. Concerned for Rose's mental well-being, her supervisor Dr. Morgan Desai gives her a week off.

The following days, the hallucinations continue, making Rose seem unhinged and dangerous to people around her, including her fiancé Trevor and sister Holly. At her nephew's birthday party, Rose's gift has been replaced by her dead cat, horrifying the children. She sees a party attendant grinning at her and falls onto a glass table, ending the party in chaos. She tries to explain what is happening to her, and the hallucinations, to her fiancée Trevor. She visits her former therapist, Dr. Madeline Northcott, who suggests that her problems stem from her abusive and mentally ill mother, whose death from an overdose she witnessed as a child.

Upon learning Laura's professor was grinning at her before his death, Rose visits his widow Victoria and learns he was affected after witnessing a woman die by suicide. Rose asks her ex-boyfriend Joel, a police detective, to go through police records. They find several cases where someone witnessed a suicide, then a few days later died by suicide in front of someone else, who continued the pattern.

Rose visits Holly, attempting to explain the situation. Joel calls her, revealing that he discovered all the witnesses died by suicide within a week. The exception was Robert Talley, who instead murdered someone else. Rose and Joel visit Robert in jail, where the latter claims the only way to escape the entity is to kill someone in front of a witness, and do it in a brutal fashion to cause major psychological trauma, passing the entity to them. Rose angrily rejects the option and leaves.

She is confronted at home by the entity in Madeline's form. Rose impulsively drives to her hospital with a knife and hallucinates murdering Carl in front of Morgan to pass the entity to him. She snaps out of it and hastily drives away, though not before Morgan spots the knife and alerts the police.

Rose drives to her abandoned family home, convinced that she can't pass on the entity if she remains alone. Rose confronts the entity in the form of her dead mother, before setting it on fire and leaving the burning house. Then she drives to Joel's apartment, where he comforts her. When Joel starts smiling, Rose realizes everything that happened from the moment she entered the old house was a hallucination. The entity confronts the now despairing Rose, reveals itself as a giant skinless creature with mouths nested within its mouth, paralyzing her with its visage before forcing itself inside her body through her mouth.

Joel, having tracked Rose's phone, enters the house and sees a smiling Rose set herself on fire, with the entity presumably transferring itself to him.

Cast

  • Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist
    • Meghan Brown Pratt as 10-year-old Rose
  • Jessie T. Usher as Trevor, Rose's fiancée
  • Kyle Gallner as Joel, Rose's ex-boyfriend and a police detective
  • Robin Weigert as Dr. Madeline Northcott, Rose's therapist
  • Caitlin Stasey as Laura Weaver, Rose's patient who committed suicide
  • Kal Penn as Dr. Morgan Desai, Rose's boss
  • Rob Morgan as Robert Talley, the only person who did not die after witnessing one of the suicides, and who is currently in prison
  • Judy Reyes as Victoria Muñoz, Gabriel's wife who lost her husband
  • Gillian Zinser as Holly Cotter, Rose's older sister
  • Jack Sochet as Carl Renken
  • Nick Arapoglou as Greg, Holly's husband
  • Dora Kiss as Rose and Holly's mother, who died of a drug overdose
  • Sara Kapner as Stephanie
  • Kevin Keppy as Nightmare Mom
  • Marti Matulis as The Entity

Production

In June 2020, Parker Finn was tapped by Paramount Pictures to write and direct a feature adaptation of his own short film Laura Hasn't Slept, which saw a young woman seeking the help of her therapist desperate to rid herself of a recurring nightmare. Earlier in March that year, the short film won the Special Jury Recognition Prize for SXSW's Midnight Short category.[5] In September 2021, the film was announced under the title Something's Wrong with Rose with Sosie Bacon cast as the titular character. Paramount Players and Temple Hill Entertainment had boarded the film to co-produce.[6] The following month, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Rob Morgan, Kal Penn, Judy Reyes, Gillian Zinser and Caitlin Stasey joined the cast.[7]

Principal photography began on October 11, 2021,[8] in New Jersey, including in the city of Hoboken,[9] and finished on November 24, 2021.[10]

Editing and post-production started on December 3, 2021,[11] and lasted through the end of May 2022,[12] visual effects was done by the-Artery and was supervised by Yuval Levy and Vico Sharabani, when the film was simply retitled Smile.[13] The film's score was composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer.[14] For practical effects, Finn recruited Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics, who he described as a major influence in wanting to be a horror filmmaker for their work in films such as Aliens.[15]

Marketing

Promotional materials that were released included an eight-second teaser on May 26, a 40-second teaser trailer shown at screenings of Top Gun: Maverick and Crimes of the Future in early June 2022,[13] and a two-minute trailer and poster on June 22. Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting described the footage as "pretty generic", but said it stood out due to its similarities to Ringu and The Ring.[16] Shania Russell at /Film compared the film to The Ring, It Follows and Truth or Dare and wrote, "It's all very familiar and probably not too hard to imagine how the movie will progress, but the scares will make or break the experience, and based on the trailer, Smile is more than promising."[17]

During several Major League Baseball games the weekend before the film's release, an apparent viral marketing stunt occurred, as the studio or marketing firm purchased seats behind home plate, with actors smiling maniacally into the camera for the pitcher-batter shot for extended periods of time. Some of the actors wore shirts with the name and logo of the film on the front.[18][19]

A tie-in with the Craiyon text-to-image generator involved AI generation of images of nightmarish smiles.[20][21][better source needed]

Release

Smile had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2022,[22] followed by screenings at Beyond Fest on September 27.[23] It was released in the United States on September 30, 2022, by Paramount Pictures.[24] Paramount Pictures President and CEO Brian Robbins said that Smile was originally slated for a streaming-only release on Paramount+, but the studio eventually decided to release the film theatrically because of strong results from test screenings.[25]

The film was released for VOD platforms including Paramount+ on November 15, 2022,[26] with a Blu-ray, DVD and 4K UHD release set for December 13, 2022.[27]

Reception

Box office

As of December 10, 2022, Smile has grossed $105.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $110.2 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $216.1 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada, Smile was released alongside Bros, and was projected to gross $16–20 million from 3,645 theaters in its opening weekend.[1] The film made $8.2 million on its first day, including $2 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $22.6 million, topping the box office and slightly overperforming its projections, while being the biggest debut of September 2022.[28][29] The film made $18.4 million in its sophomore weekend, remaining atop the box office. The 18% second weekend drop was the second-smallest ever for a horror film behind Get Out's 15% in February 2017, and marked the best non-holiday hold of the pandemic era.[30] Although it was dethroned by newcomer Halloween Ends in its third weekend the film continued to hold well, making $12.6 million.[31] On November 9, 2022, it became only the third R-rated film released in the pandemic era to gross $100 million domestically, as well as becoming the highest-grossing R-rated horror film worldwide during the pandemic.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 179 reviews, and an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Deeply creepy visuals and a standout Sosie Bacon further elevate Smile's unsettling exploration of trauma, adding up to the rare feature that satisfyingly expands on a short."[32] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave the film a 69% overall positive score, with 53% saying they would definitely recommend it.[28]

Marisa Mirabal of IndieWire gave the film a grade of B−, noting its plot's similarities to films such as It Follows, The Ring, Oculus and Final Destination. She wrote: "Smile navigates unhealed trauma through a supernatural lens and mischievous juxtaposition, despite feeling like a shadow of other stories", and added that it "delivers a captivating and claustrophobic mental hellscape that will cause one to both grimace and grin."[34] Tasha Robinson of Polygon wrote: "Smile is often a gimmicky, even corny horror movie, packed with so many jump-scares that the sheer pile-on borders on laughable... But no matter how excessively the legitimate scares pile up, they're startling and convincing. The editing and music are impressively tuned for maximum impact whenever the slow-burning tension resolves with an abrupt, ugly surprise. All of which makes Smile an efficient ride, if an unusually unrelenting one."[35]

Katie Rife of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing: "In padding out the concept from an 11-minute short into a nearly two-hour movie, Smile leans too heavily not only on formulaic mystery plotting, but also on horror themes and imagery lifted from popular hits like The Ring and It Follows."[36] Kevin Maher of The Times wrote: "There are some nice jump scares and Bacon is charismatic but it's achingly derivative and dull", and gave the film 2 out of 5 stars.[37] Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media also gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing: "The image of a creepy, sinister smile is so primal and so chilling that it might have inspired something truly penetrating, but, sadly, this horror movie is content to fall back on noisy jump scares."[38]

Themes

Smile explores several themes and devices common to the horror genre, such as trauma, grief, and guilt. As the audience follows through the lens of protagonist Dr. Rose Cotter, she becomes an increasingly unreliable narrator, further blurring lines between delusions and reality, an area upon which she should, in theory, have a firm grasp as a clinical psychologist.[39] The concept and effects of trauma is explored at various levels. On a clinical level, Rose may be seen as experiencing vicarious trauma (wherein therapists experience trauma as a result of treating their patients’ trauma) as she treats patients. On a more metaphorical level, the cyclical nature of trauma is seen through the antagonist monster’s process of causing one victim to spread their trauma to other victims. The deeper extent of personal trauma is shown through the multiple endings experienced by Rose as she confronts her more fully revealed past trauma, only to be forced to relive it.

Critics point out that the concept of being consumed by one’s trauma to the point that trauma manifests as an identity is observably common within the genre.[40] As such, Smile has been thematically compared to other horror movies such as The Babadook and It Follows, among others.

As Katie Rife from New York Magazine’s Vulture explains, “Smile is both an extension and a repudiation of the trauma plot, incorporating its traits and tropes while denying viewers the familiar catharsis of conquering the monster.”[39] Indeed, writer-director Parker Finn chose to include multiple endings to the film as an attempt to subvert savvy viewers’ predictions related to the typical trauma-plot.[41]

Future

Although Finn doesn't immediately have an idea for a sequel, he stated:[42]

I wanted the movie to really exist for its own sake. I wanted to tell this character's story. That was what was really important to me. I think there's a lot of fun to be had in the world of Smile. But certainly as a filmmaker, I never want to retread anything I've already done. So if there was ever to be more of Smile, I'd want to make sure it was something unexpected, and different than what Smile is.

References

  1. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (September 28, 2022). "Billy Eichner's Gay Rom-Com 'Bros' Takes on Creepy Thriller 'Smile' at Box Office". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Smile (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Smile (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Squires, John (November 30, 2022). "'Laura Hasn't Slept' – Watch the Original Short Film That Became This Year's 'Smile' [Video]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 9, 2020). "Paramount, Temple Hill Set Feature Version Of Horror Short 'Laura Hasn't Slept'". Deadline. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 22, 2021). "'Mare of Easttown' Actor Sosie Bacon to Star in 'Something's Wrong With Rose' for Paramount Players (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Squires, John (October 8, 2021). "Paramount Players Horror Movie 'Something's Wrong With Rose' Will Star Kyle Gallner and Kal Penn". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Finn, Parker [@parkerjfinn] (October 11, 2021). "Day One. Let's GO. #SWWR #paramount #paramountpictures #horrorfilm". Retrieved October 11, 2021 – via Instagram.
  9. ^ Tripucka, Jennifer (October 28, 2021). "Here's What We Know About the Movie Filming in Hoboken This Week". HobokenGirl. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Finn, Parker [@parkerjfinn] (November 24, 2021). "THAT'S A WRAP! The past six and a half weeks of production have been an absolute whirlwind. I don't have the space here or the brain power left to describe how grateful I am for the unbelievably talented cast and crew who helped bring this project to life. I can't wait for people to see this film. More photos coming soon. For now, sleep". Retrieved November 24, 2021 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Finn, Parker [@parkerjfinn] (December 3, 2021). "Editing begins @paramountpics". Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Finn, Parker [@parkerjfinn] (May 17, 2022). "Week one of final mix #filmmaking #postproduction #soundmixing #theatrical #movie #horrorfilm #cinema #paramountpictures". Retrieved May 17, 2022 – via Instagram.
  13. ^ a b Navarro, Meagan (June 3, 2022). "Mysterious New 'Smile' Theatrical Teaser Brings Unsettling Grin and Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  14. ^ Brady, Erin (October 5, 2022). "Cool Stuff: The Smile Soundtrack Is Getting A Vinyl Release From Mondo". /Film. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Navarro, Megan (September 28, 2022). "'Smile' Writer/Director Parker Finn on the Film's Practical Effects and Horror Influences (Interview)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  16. ^ Miska, Brad (June 22, 2022). "The 'Smile' Trailer Is Finally Here and Taunts, "You're Going to Die!"". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Russell, Shania (June 22, 2022). "Smile Trailer: Paramount's Upcoming Horror Flick Gives New Meaning To 'If Looks Could Kill'". /Film. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Ettenhoffer, Valerie (September 24, 2022). "A Viral Marketing Campaign For Smile Is Photobombing Baseball Games (And The Today Show)". /Film. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Curtis, Charles (September 27, 2022). "Those MLB fans creeping you out smiling behind home plate? It was all a movie marketing ploy". USA Today. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Craiyon [@craiyonai] (September 29, 2022). "Want to make nightmare fuel smiles? 😈..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Smile Movie [@SmileMovie] (September 26, 2022). "It's time to spread the smile. Generate yours at http://craiyon.com. #SmileMovie" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (August 16, 2022). "Fantastic Fest Unveils 2022 Lineup, Featuring Smile, Anya Taylor-Joy's The Menu and Park Chan-wook Tribute". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Miska, Brad (September 13, 2022). "Beyond Fest Brings 'Hellraiser' to the Big Screen Along With 'Halloween Ends' and 'Christmas Bloody Christmas'!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 26, 2022). "Paramount Dates 'Smile' For Fall". Deadline. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  25. ^ Huston, Caitlin (September 7, 2022). "Paramount Film Chief Plans to Ramp Up Theatrical Release Output". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Rogers, Kaniya. "'Smile' is now available to watch at home — here's how to stream the hit horror movie". Business Insider. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  27. ^ "Smile DVD Release Date". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  28. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 2, 2022). "'Smile' Sees $2M In Previews, 'Don't Worry Darling' Ends First Week With $25.5M+ – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Pamela McClintock (October 2, 2022). "Box Office: 'Smile' Laughs to $22M Opening as 'Bros' Frowns With $4.8M". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  30. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 9, 2022). "'Smile' Posts Best Second Weekend Hold For R-Rated Horror Film After 'Get Out'; Audiences Never Got High On 'Amsterdam' – Sunday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 16, 2022). "'Halloween Ends' Opening Lower Than Expected With $41M+: Blame Day & Date Peacock Release As Sequel Is Most Watched On Streamer – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  32. ^ "Smile". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  33. ^ "Smile (2022) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  34. ^ Mirabal, Marisa (September 24, 2022). "'Smile' Review: Parker Finn's Supernatural Take on Trauma Will Make You Grimace and Grin". IndieWire. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  35. ^ Robinson, Tasha (September 23, 2022). "Smile tickles the brain and terrifies without remorse". Polygon. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  36. ^ Rife, Katie (September 23, 2022). "Smile movie review & film summary (2022)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  37. ^ Maher, Kevin. "Smile review — you may be cursed and have to grin and bear it". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  38. ^ Anderson, Jeffrey M. "Smile Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  39. ^ a b Rife, Katie (October 5, 2022). "Let's Talk About the Ending(s) of Smile". Vulture. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  40. ^ Sehgal, Parul (December 23, 2021). "The Case Against the Trauma Plot". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  41. ^ Robinson, Tasha (September 30, 2022). "Smile director Parker Finn unpacks the movie's many endings". Polygon. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  42. ^ Robinson, Tasha (September 30, 2022). "Smile director Parker Finn unpacks the movie's many endings ('Horror audiences have gotten so savvy, so I tried to put myself in their shoes')". polygon.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.


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