Smile 2 (MA)
Directed by: Parker Finn
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt
Review by: Julian Wright
The creepy grins are back to psychologically torture another unsuspecting woman, and audiences, in Smile 2.
Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is a troubled pop-star preparing for a big comeback world tour.
A year after the height of her drug addiction and surviving a car crash that claimed the life of her actor boyfriend Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson), Skye is still haunted by the experience.
Rehearsals begin to unearth chronic injury pain, so she heads to her Vicodin dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage), who freaks out and flashes Skye a creepy grin before killing himself in front of her.
And so begins Skye’s descent into madness spurred on by a grinning presence.
Finn certainly tapped into something that really gets under your skin with Smile (2022) – when sinister vibes lurk behind such a warm and joyful expression.
For his sequel, he gives us a larger scale and higher stakes, with the pressures of being a popstar, playing out like a warning to any wannabe singer.
While audience reactions and critics reviews are glowing, Smile 2 takes a long time to reach its conclusion.
Finn definitely knows how to build dread and tension, but his recycled set ups seem to be on a loop without intention of progressing the plot.
Ultimately, it is just a series of scenarios of Skye being terrorised in various locations – her apartment, a fan meet and greet, green room, and back to her apartment.
Perhaps it was Finn’s intention to drive us as batty as his protagonist.
If only he were as adept at editing as he is at getting under our skin.
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