Smile 2 Asks “Does Sabrina Carpenter Need an Exorcism?”
Working backward from the innate terror of a forced grin, the original Smile was the opposite of “elevated horror.” Diminished terror? Insignificant fear? Minimalized trepidation? Instead of leveraging mental health for a sophisticated metaphor it was like Freud kept coming up behind you and yelling “Boo! You wanna have sex with your mom!” Classic Sigmund.
Smile 2 understands its concept better, in that it knows it is ugly, simple, and dumb. Writer/director Parker Finn leans more heavily into the silly and stupid with an unexpected artistry. Were it about a half hour shorter and more decisive about how it wants the audience to feel about its main character, it may have been flat-out, no-holds-barred “pretty okay.” At the very least, it gets points for being the first film to understand the abject terror of a dance mob doing Bob Fosse moves in your general direction.
Picking up a scant six days after the events of the first movie, Smile 2 foolishly expects you to remember what happened at the end of the first movie. If all you actually remember is that the would-be franchise follows a demonic parasite that hops into the mind of the last person to see its previous victim alive, you’ll be fine.
Wisely, Finn takes a big step away from the awful real-life phenomenon of suicide contagion. Not-so-wisely, he does try to kinda-sorta say something about addiction being a form of possession. Gross! The addict in question is Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop star who has been out of the spotlight ever since a horrific, drug-and-booze-fueled car accident that killed her boyfriend.
With her comeback tour just days away, she accidentally gets herself inhabited by a mental ghoul. This may be what happens to all super-famous musicians, only Lady Gaga knows. The beast in her brain causes her to increasingly freak out, often to intentionally hilarious effect. The clock is ticking though, as she is made aware that within days she will die in grotesque fashion. Not, like, The Substance grotesque though. She should be so lucky.
Populated with copious jump scares, the knock-knock joke of the horror genre, the film would generate more tension if it wasn’t so gosh-darn long. The problem isn’t the sheer number of minutes but the fact that all those seconds add up to lost momentum. “You don’t have much time!” is a constant refrain, but it sure feels like she does, as long as it takes. Part of the problem is that Finn appears to be auditioning for future films, trying on a wild variety of different styles.
Tying it all together though is Scott, who is great. We don’t get a ton of “star-making turns” these days, now that Rainbow Brite is dead. But this is one of those “put her in everything” moments. She’s so good that it possibly fouls up the feel of things. That is to say, Smile 2 often suggests that Skye is a fairly terrible person.
The sympathy she tries to gin up about the pressures of fame is forced and fake and doesn’t counterbalance the frequent vile decisions she makes. Scott’s remarkable performance is so compelling as to make it unclear whether Finn’s intention was for us to have a bit of cheeky fun watching a wretched human being put through hell or to have us root for her. #TeamFeedHerToTheDemon
Smile 2 goes anti-Christopher Nolan and resists the urge to overexplain mythology and assault audiences with cinematic white papers. No spoilers, but it also puts forth a legitimately fascinating proposal for a potential third film. Smile got a C-. Smile 2 goes up a grade. Could Smile 3 make the honor roll?
Grade = C
Other Critical Voices to Consider
Sarah Vincent says “While it is too early to classify Finn’s two films as a franchise, especially since this one raises the stakes so high that another installment seems impossible, Smile 2 is consistent with the first in showcasing a talented, lesser-known actor who can convincingly carry an entire movie.”
Kate Sánchez at But Why Tho? says “Smile 2 is the kind of sequel I didn’t know I needed. It’s just as mean as the first film, but it also captures the vibrancy of pop stardom. Balancing levity and violence, horrific imagery, and situations with campier moments of possessed backup dancers, Finn exceeds all expectations.”
Lupe R. Haas at Cinemovie.tv says “The sequel feels unique with far more cringier moments specifically because the victim is a public persona. The world is watching Skye come apart, which creates a higher stake.”