The first “Smile,” from writer-director Parker Finn, was released in 2022, and in a less promising debut, its premise would have collapsed around the joyless third or fourth look. The evil spirit, loose in the world, flies from human to human; the unfortunate victim commits heinous suicide in the presence of the next lucky customer; rinse, repeat. Simple and flexible idea, yes, but sufficient for functionality?
It was. Developing the idea of smiling and sharing in one’s 10 minute short film “Laura Hasn’t Sleep” (2020), “Smile” revealed Finn as a filmmaker with confident pacing instincts and a compelling enough interest in his female protagonist’s traumatic past to deliver more than one bone-shattering jump scare after another. (The supernatural entity fuels and thrives on trauma, like some politicians.) Initially, Paramount Pictures planned to drop “Smile” on Paramount Plus; if that were the case, he would have missed out on the $200 million that the film generated in theaters.
“Smile 2” goes in a newer direction, with frustratingly mixed results – but it’s a mixed bag that you can respect because it’s not hackwork and it tries new things. This time, the agonizing center of the story is pop superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), about to launch a massive world tour after a difficult recovery from drug addiction. She’s also recovering from a terrifying car accident that claimed the life of her cocaine-addicted boyfriend.
In an exceptionally bloody prologue, audiences see what Skye doesn’t: a returning character from the first film (played by Kyle Gallner) passing on the curse to drug dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage), who is destined to meet Skye later . Skye has more on her mind, and in her nightmares, than just back pain caused by heavy dance rehearsals. Lashing out so publicly a year ago and alienating friends and family has led to a current state of instability.
The clandestine meeting with Lewis for some Vicodin leads to a bloody suicide (death by headbutt with a 35-pound weight), marking Skye as next in line. “Smile 2” devotes a lot of time to the non-supernatural rigors and miseries of touring. The star’s vigilant, controlling mother and manager (Rosemarie DeWitt) is a liability; Skye’s beloved assistant (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) has his own way of making the lonely celebrity nervous.
“Smile 2” is only 17 minutes longer than the 2022 film, but the two-hour-plus runtime feels muddy, especially toward the end. Finn’s storyline is more like a dozen short films strung together, unlike the first “Smile.” I liked the much more subdued use of splashes and splashes in the original; “Smile 2” goes for it from the start, even though its scariest sequence contains no blood. At a fan event, Skye happily poses and signs posters for a long line of fans, one of whom is a superfan bordering on restraining order material. Another is a preteen with braces and a distinctive smile, and director Finn’s execution of these elements puts the audience under pressure in a wonderfully old-school way.
Even when the film doesn’t really work, design collaborators improve the results. Sound designer Dan Kenyon works in tandem with composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer to create a subtly twisted set of tension-building cues. Plus the casting is good. As Skye, Scott – who lent the live-action remake of Aladdin something resembling a human pulse – rarely gets a chance to relax on screen here, as she essentially portrays a series of unfortunate and painful events. But in the scenes with his wary friend Gemma, Scott and Dylan Gelula offer the audience respite and an interesting relationship.
So it’s ups and downs. But once it’s over, “Smile 2” makes you look forward to Finn’s next project. As stark as Skye’s predicament is (and the film isn’t exactly funny), the filmmaker has a sense of humor. After all, he cast Ray Nicholson as one of the smilers, and as he is Jack Nicholson’s son, director Finn recognized how much his “Smile” films owe to Stanley Kubrick’s famous close-up “gaze” as we sees him. , for example, in “The Shining,” well…let’s just say that when young Nicholson appears, he’s ready for that close-up.
“Smile 2” – 2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA Rating: R (for violent and gory content, gruesome images, language used throughout, and drug use)
Duration: 2:12
How to watch: Premieres in theaters October 17
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
