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Movie Review: Smile

Mike Tyrkus

Although the new horror film Smile may scare some away with its seemingly obvious debt owed to the “slasher” films of the past, it is rather a complex and well-crafted horror film that perhaps signals the arrival of a fresh new voice in the genre. 

Immediately following an incident with her patient – Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey) — Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) begins suffering from the same bizarre symptoms that Laura had described to her. As the inevitability of her situation begins to crystalize, Dr. Cotter finds herself on a path forcing her to overcome the demons of her past to survive until tomorrow. 

Working from his own script, first-time feature director Parker Finn delivers a taught, quick-paced, and well-written supernatural thriller that entertains and keeps the audience engaged until the bitter end. The filmmaker’s approach to the otherworldly aspects of his story allows them to be far more grounded and believable than they might be in another’s hands. Charlie Sarroff’s cinematography does a similarly fine job of juggling the spiritual and physical aspects of the production into a cohesive visual representation that effortlessly propels the story forward. 

Sosie Bacon in “Smile.” Photo by Courtesy of Paramount Pictures. – © 2022 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

As Dr. Cotter, Sosie Bacon is effective as the driven psychiatrist determined to atone for her own past sins by helping as many people afflicted with mental illness as she can. Other characters, such as Trevor (Jessie Usher) and Dr. Madeline Northcott (Robin Weigert) function more or less as stock characters that push the narrative forward. But, as the reality (or lack thereof) around her becomes increasingly more unstable, Dr. Cotter’s own interactions with others become more erratic and frightening than before, suggesting her own rapid descent into madness has possibly been a long time coming itself. Only her ex, Joel (Kyle Gallner), seems to have to ability to keep her grounded as her own psychosis appears to overtake her; but perhaps it is already too late. Crisp and clean editing from Elliot Greenberg also aids the film in moving quickly from scene to scene without wasting time on anything extraneous. 

While it may not be the epitome of the genre, Smile is one of those films that portends of even better things to come from the artist(s) responsible for it.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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