"I'm an expert in parties and boys. I'm a Bunny! Men write to me from prison--sometimes in their own blood!" So declares ex-Playboy Bunny Shelley; tossed out of the Mansion by a rival for her advanced age (27--"59 in bunny years;" she's told). As played by the utterly fearless and appealing Anna Faris; Shelley becomes an unlikely post-feminist heroine; who finds a great use for her not-too-considerable expertise: being sexy. With nowhere else to live; Shelley finds herself as the house mother for a dying sorority; the Zetas; who are the audience for the rallying cry above. And the slightly misfit sisters; though wary; end up giving Shelley a sisterhood she could never have built back at the Grotto. To help build up the sorority; Shelley gives the young women her own peculiar tutorials in charm school--helping them raise their campus profile and recruit new pledges in the process. "When I'm done; every girl on campus will want to pledge Zeta!" Ignore her at your peril; girls. If the formula is a bit predictable; the pace is lively and the cast; headed by the wide-eyed Faris; is aces. American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee is a natural on camera; as is Rumer Willis; daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. The supporting cast includes the capable Colin Hanks and Beverly D'Angelo; and a bit too much screen time for the real-life Hugh Hefner; who maybe should have stayed on the set of The Girls Next Door. Still; Faris channels the cheerful; girly determination of Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods--no surprise since The House Bunny was cowritten by Kirsten Smith; who wrote Legally Blonde. Fans of silly romances; hop to it.--A.T. Hurley

Stills from House Bunny (click for larger image)