Smiley Face: Finally, it’s a rock joke for the most adorable girls in the store

IIt’s hard not to feel a strange sense of connection with each of the hapless heroines played by Anna Faris. Although generally understated, his signature mix of humor and silliness makes him a charming presence in every project. While he’s been praised for some of his work (The House Bunny, Scary Movie), his portrayal of a blank slate in LA in Gregg Araki’s 2007 comedy Smiley Face remains an unlikely triumph.

Arriving three years after Araki’s dark, critical drama, Smiley Face was left-field: a stoner comedy after Jane’s constant, often dysfunctional, problems.

After eating an entire plate of weed cupcakes made by her creepy roommate Steve (an unflattering appearance by Danny Masterson), Jane falls into stardom — and bravely embarks on a mission to get an audition, to pay off an overdue electric bill, to pay her weed dealer Stevekes’s cupcaba.

Or, as the movie puts it, try to get from “point A to Z”. But of course he tries and fails every time – so spectacularly that one can describe his stupid actions as herculean. It’s amazing.

Smiley Face was well-received upon release but didn’t exactly revive cannabis cinema. But in 2026 this particular kind of 00s dumbness feels a bit naive, especially after the following decades of deep waves. If anything, Smiley Face’s unrelenting silliness has only gotten better with age.

In true Faris style, Jane is depressingly likable. He engages in all the usual stoner things: binge eating, obsessive viewing, and a laissez-faire attitude of servitude. But she is also the most intelligent of all the dream girls of her time: she was at the same time charming and unflappable.

As with many of Araki’s productions, tragedy is never far from the surface. The film suggests the crisis inside Jane’s mind, from which weed can be an escape. He suffers from depression, talks about shattered educational dreams and clearly has no support network; the only person he can rely on is Steve’s friend who has an inexplicable crush on him (John Krasinski). This vague sadness makes Jane even more endearing, despite her obvious lack of knowledge.

What makes Smiley Face unique compared to her siblings (especially the males) is that Jane is a lone sports fan. Cheech had Chong, Harold had Kumar, even Seth Rogen collaborated with James Franco and Danny McBride for Pineapple Express – but Jane has no friend to help her, and everyone around her is as sane as the judge.

Perhaps more importantly, Jane’s “cannabis caper” isn’t your typical stoner comedy thriller — it’s seriously creepy. The noises are too loud, the sense of community is non-existent, the sense of paranoia is at an all-time high, and a trip to the dentist is like being trapped in an emotional nightmare. Finally, a funny game with stones for the most angry girls in the store!

Twenty years after its release, Smiley Face has yet to achieve the cult status it deserves, a constant presence in the corners of rock cinema. But Faris ended up winning High Times magazine’s “Stonnette of the Year” for her role; a sign of success from audiences who appreciated Smiley Face for the gem that it is.

• Smiley Face is available to stream in Australia on 7plus and in the US on Prime Video and Tubi. For more recommendations on what to ship in Australia, click here