Smile

A weaker reheating of It Follows and Drag Me to Hell mixed together. Excellent sound design and a couple of well executed jump scares pull it up slightly above average in the end. The craftsmanship is very solid, and the few scripting missteps thankfully don't feel particularly distracting. As a horror one-off, it's actually quite good. If you don't expect any deeper themes from horror movies and are content with simple (but well presented) entertainment and a few jump scares, this material is just for you. [65%] (10/15/2022)

A surprisingly good little mainstream horror film from a debutant that could be an asset to the genre in the future. I was expecting a flop from Smile after the trailers, one that would end up in the 40-50% range, so the result is very satisfying. It's a combination of It Follows and Truth or Dare, but it takes only the best of both and even surpasses them both in quality. It's got a fine mystery around mysterious suicides and I enjoyed a lot the gradual discovery of what's behind it. The main character slowly starts to get paranoid, ugly things happen to her and her life slowly falls apart. The film has a slower pace at times, especially in the middle, but when it comes to the scares it's honest and effective. There are only a few scares but they work well, the atmosphere can be chilling and I liked the finale where there is a decent amount of creepy shots, and there was actually a bit of violence which I wasn't expecting here at all (when the entity rips the skin off its face I was thrilled). So all in all, a nice surprise, but it won't be quite for teenage girls as it seemed at first glance, they will be laughing most of the time in the cinema. 7/10 (10/15/2022)

An entity takes off! Say cheese! Yes, there’s definitely theft happening here. The formula of passing the baton of evil, distrust from those around, searching for causes, gradual personality breakdown—it's all been done before. What interests me more is the atmosphere it brings and whether it looks good, and in these aspects, Parker Finn succeeded. The trauma, sorrow, and guilt are developed appropriately, the upside-down camera effects and sound serve their purpose, and I dare say one Kansas City Shuffle jump scare might even catch seasoned predictors. Unintentionally funny scenes (when the seven-year-old unwraps gifts) can be overlooked, as can the viewer checking their watch waiting for the tactics from the end of Gregory Hoblit's Fallen (especially since the cat’s not in play anymore). In the case of the lead actress, I’m not sure if the bacon came from a nearby or faraway meat factory... (12/22/2022)

I don't know how long it's been since we've gotten this type of "jump-scare" horror not only in the cinema, but on other platforms, so I can't help but cheer with excitement that Smile has done well. The central idea is just right for a horror film, the acting and writing are enjoyable and, as I mentioned, the biggest draws are the ubiquitous jump-scares, the clever play with the camera, the music and the viewer expectations and, most importantly, the quality visuals. The trailer already gave me goosebumps with its audiovisual style and the film itself is no different. Overall it's simply a very good horror film that isn't stupid, scares, entertains and, most importantly, engages. Brilliant. (10/07/2022)

Now, if I wanted to laugh at Smile, I'd find reasons to do so, because the criticisms you read about the generic script are true (for example, it borrows not only the premise, but entire scenes from It Follows), and the scene where the main character goes around to her relatives, friends and acquaintances and tries to convince them that she's cursed is written in a funny way. But I decided to be sympathetic to the film, and that's because at a time when a large number of genre films forget the most important thing, i.e. trying to scare the viewer, Smile tries damn hard. It doesn't always work out, but I though about the horror films that have been released in Czech cinemas so far this year, and Smile is by far the most effective in this respect. If the script was polished in terms of the behaviour of the characters and the depth of the topics discussed, it would be satisfying even with undiminished expectations; the craftsmanship is more than solid. But I’ll look the other way and I’ll give it a seven. (09/30/2022)