The House Bunny (2008)
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A former Playboy bunny must find a new home after being tricked into leaving the mansion and ends up as the house mother for an unpopular sorority.
The story
Shelley Darlingson, a Playboy Bunny living a life of luxury, discovers a forged note claiming she must leave the Playboy Mansion. While searching for a new home, she encounters the Phi Iota Mu sorority but is rejected because she is not a student. She eventually finds the Zeta Alpha Zeta house, a dowdy and socially awkward sorority in danger of being shut down. After demonstrating her ability to attract men, the Zetas take her in as their house mother, hoping she can help them secure 30 new pledges to save their status.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Shelley Darlingson, a Playboy Bunny, is tricked into leaving the Playboy Mansion by a forged note from Hugh Hefner. While looking for a home, she is rejected by the wealthy Phi Iota Mu sorority but finds a home with the struggling Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority. The Zetas, needing 30 new pledges to avoid closure, hire Shelley as their house mother. During her stay, Shelley meets Oliver, a man who wants to know her as a person, leading her to try and 'tone down' her appearance. After a series of makeovers and a successful party, the Zetas realize they have become conceited and blame Shelley. Shelley is invited back to the Playboy Mansion but chooses to stay with the Zetas. When Phi Iota Mu intercepts the Zetas' pledge invitations, Shelley gives a heartfelt speech at a council meeting, successfully securing 30 pledges. Shelley eventually reconciles with Oliver, choosing to be true to herself while maintaining her connection to the Playboy Mansion.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Fred Wolf
- Writers
- Karen McCullah · writer; Kirsten Smith · writer
- Cast and characters
- Anna Faris · Shelley Darlingson; Emma Stone; Colin Hanks
- Genres
- comedy; buddy comedy; romantic comedy; teen comedy; teen romance
- Themes
- sisterhood; self-acceptance; authenticity
- Tone and mood
- comedic; cheerful
- Premise and plot tags
- sorority life; makeover; mismatched roommates
- Content notes
- nude scene
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews but was a box office success, making $70.4 million on a $25 million budget. It has gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 44% · review count: 124; Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 22; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The working title was I Know What Boys Like.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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