Smile

Ten Second Review: Smile certainly doesn’t make the most of its good ideas and is definitely bloated, but there’s plenty to enjoy here.

It’s officially spooky season which means splitting film watching into so bad it’s good formulaic films, classic campy flicks and down right screamfests. Smile is definitely trying to sit in that last camp and it does put in a good innings.

Psychotherapist, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), had a traumatic childhood and now she does her best to help others process their own trauma. When a young woman arrives needing support, Rose tries, but it becomes apparent she was too late as she uncovers a chain of mysterious events linked by a supernatural force that she may not be able to overcome.

This film really is a mixed bag. There are moments where it is building and you’re on the edge of your seat or gripping the armrests, but you never quite get the payoff you want. There’s great set ups, some terrifying visuals and the sound design remains pretty haunting throughout, but it never fully lands its blows. This is not to say it is not scary or that it doesn’t work, only to say that you can quickly see places for improvements.

The writing and acting is perfect for this type of slightly over the top middle of the road Halloween film. That is not to devalue it, it’s an incredible genre of film, but the overall product doesn’t shine like a gem in the way some generic horror does. One thing that would quickly help it is an edit of some of the extraneous storylines. A few cuts could have brought it closer to 100 minutes and subsequently offered it more room for forgiveness. At 2 hours, I would suggest you need to be getting more out of a film than a few jumps (See Get Out and Cabin in the Woods).

I would say that if you are looking for a new horror film for spooky season, this may well scratch that itch. It probably won’t become a classic (or develop a cult following) but as an original horror film to catch before Halloween it’ll do.