New Flix: Smile (2022)

 Make 'em Smile, Make 'em laugh!

This is 2022's surprise (to Paramount) hit Smile.

A Psychiatrist at an Emergency Intake Hospital meets up with a new Patient.

She tells her that she is being 'hunted' by an 'entity.'

She freaks out before she starts to have an eerie smile....

...and she cuts her face and neck open.

The poor lady watches it, calling for help but unable to stop her.

She is understandably freaked out.

She's given time off shortly after this, which is 100% logical.

What's less logical is how she starts to see things...like the dead Patient at Birthday Party.

Since she lives in a Movie, the Cop who checks out the earlier death just so happens to be her ex-Boyfriend.

He offers to help her solve what is going on.

Weird- how did I mix up this Film and The Ring?
Oh well.

Things get worse as she learns that none of the victims of whatever this is lived more than a week.

Huh.  There it goes again.

Can she find out the way to save herself and stop whatever this strange entity is?

Can she keep the people around her safe?

Does the fact that I watched this Film knowing that a Sequel is out in 2 days affect things?

To find out the answer to those first two questions, stream it now or, Heaven forbid, buy a physical copy.

A good Film, but it does take a while to really make things very interesting.

The Plot here is good.  That said, it is a slow burn...in the middle.  Yeah, that's a little odd.

This one starts out strong, but then kind of drags a bit while it make things all about our Heroine's mental break.

That's not a bad Story at all.  It just isn't quite as interesting as Evil Entity spreads via Death among the populace.

The Actress does a great job.  The Supporting Cast is also pretty good.  Some- like Kal Penn- are better than others, of course.

My critiques of the pacing are somewhat lessened when you view the Film as a whole, because that Finale is really, really good.

I joked about it, but there are some real Ringu/The Ring vibes here, from the Female Protagonist haunted by a strange force to the literal 7-day timer. 
I don't think it is a case of outright stealing- that Story has just been made SO MANY times since 1995 that I think it is hard to avoid even accidentally.

Smile is a strong Film as a whole.  Just know that the middle is a bit slow and go along for the ride.  Kudos to the Marketing Department as well.

A Film that borrows a few familiar ideas, but ultimately succeeds.  Time will tell if this one becomes iconic though.