SMILEY FACE

Cinemavixion Review

Gregg Araki's "SMILEY FACE" is a delightfully unhinged stoner comedy that transcends its genre with a surprisingly sharp satirical edge. Anna Faris delivers a career-defining performance as Jane, a struggling actress whose accidental ingestion of potent "special" cupcakes sends her on a surreal, episodic journey through Los Angeles. The film brilliantly captures the chaotic logic of a mind altered by cannabis, weaving a narrative tapestry of bizarre encounters and escalating absurdities, from dealing with a menacing drug dealer to navigating the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the legal system. While the plot itself is a simple quest to reach a hempfest, it serves as a perfect vehicle for Araki's signature visual style and Faris's comedic genius. The film's exploration of ambition, capitalism, and societal absurdities, all filtered through a haze of smoke, makes "SMILEY FACE" a cult classic that is as thought-provoking as it is hilariously disorienting.