Smile for the Cameras

 

The October horror train continues with Smile 2, follow up to 2022 breakout hit Smile. Director and writer Parker J. Finn returns with a much more textured character story that is let down by retreading the same beats and half frights as its predecessor.

After a brief segment involving Joel from the first movie we focus on pop star Sky Riley (Naomi Scott) as she attempts to mount a comeback a year on from a drug induced car crash that claimed the life of her boyfriend and left her needing extensive surgery. Unable to get strong painkillers due to her addiction problems she visits an old drug dealer friend to procure some Vicodin but when he smashes his own face in with a plate weight she inherits "The Smile" curse. She begins to experience bizarre goings on and people creepily grinning at her as she enters a race against time to discover what's going on and find a way to rid herself of the demon.

 By far the strongest element of Smile 2 is the character of Sky and the performance of Naomi Scott. On the surface she is the standard pop diva, short with staff and going through the motions with fans but we see her vulnerabilities too and the pressure she is under. We witness the struggles against physical pain, guilt over the death of boyfriend (played in flashbacks by Ray Nicholson, son of Jack) and the way she is manipulated by her management and mother who are far more concerned with keeping the gravy train running than the fact Sky is losing her mind. She is a far more layered protagonist than we are used to seeing in a film like this and Scott gives a performance to match, running the gamut from small facial gestures to full force terror. The supporting cast all do a good job but the film is all about the central performance and it's frustrating that a cheap third act twist robs the character of a proper conclusion. It would have been great to see this performance wrapped in a better film. 

The problem is, Smile 2 is a sequel to a film that didn't really merit one (story wise anyway, box office success meant it was always going to happen). The original Smile was derived from a short film and getting one whole movie out for the premise was tough enough, there just isn't enough juice in the tank for another go round. Taking its cues from early 2000's films like The Ring and The Grudge, smile was a race against the clock mystery with spooky stuff happening along the way. This time round there is no mystery for the audience and no real jeopardy until the end either. We know Sky won't actually be harmed by any of her visions and that no one around her is in any danger at all. It doesn't help that people staring at you with a stupid grin on their face just isn't that scary. That said, the film does use Sky's public profile to wring out some excruciatingly awkward moments as her (literal) demons cause her to lose it at the most inopportune moments. 

After giving him his big break with the original film there is no way the studio were not going sign Finn up to make them a sequel and this is likely to be give them another hit. While Smile 2 may be a mixed bag it feels like the limitations of the premise are what holds it back and the director has far more in his locker. There are likely much more interesting things in his future. Ditto star Naomi Scott.

6 bottles of water chugged out of 10