"Smile 2" - That damn smile.

Josh
Feb 3, 2025
5 min read

Parker Finn (2024)

Good character drama but the stupid horror movie got in the way.

I’m going to keep it real with all of you. I have not seen Smile (2022). And I don’t think you could blame me for skipping it, right? You watch that trailer with the creepy smile gimmick and you get Vietnam-style flashbacks to the sea of Blumhouse’s contrived horror slop where one passing idea gets stretched out to 90 minutes. Such as Cam (2018), Unfriended (2014), Truth or Dare (2018), Dashcam (2021) or even Escape Room (2019) from the true masters of horror Sony Pictures. So you end up rolling your eyes and thinking, “Oh, it’s a creepy smile that kills people... I'm certainly not the target audience for this.” (Funny enough, the creepy smile was also a trademark of the demon in Truth or Dare, but the smile came with that question. So Smile broken new ground by removing that question). And when the sequel came around, I also just ignored it. But the flood of positive reviews had me inquisitive, had me raising an eyebrow, got me mildly curious. After finally getting around to watching it, I was pleasantly surprised. I had enjoyed watching recovering addict and trauma victim pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) attempting a comeback tour but then that stupid smile got in the way. That damn smile.

So jumping in with zero context or knowledge of the first movie, the open brings back the one returning cast member Kyle Gaulner in a long-take stinger (the first of many long-take set pieces). From what I understand he was trying to pass the Smile on to a group of no-good drug dealers, again, I have no idea how this monster works. Yet what took me by surprise was the commitment to the long take and then ending with a gorey kill. So far, it has already exceeded my expectations. But then we get into the chore of the character drama, following pop sensation Skye Riley starting up a comeback tour after recovering from a drug habit and DUI that caused the death of her then partner (Ray Nicholson). As the pressures of the tour and attempted recovery build-up, she continues to dip into her drug habit where she’s introduced to the Smile via her paranoid dealer (Lukas Gage).

And if one-half of that description sounded interesting and then the second half sounded bland, then I don’t blame you. From the beginning, we see a reluctance from Skye to return to the spotlight from the first fan meeting. As she struggles to keep the smile up from fan to fan and then completely shuts out the world as her assistant (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) and Mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) compliment her return. Parker Finn puts you in the high-tension and quick-paced environment she’s in via quick cutting and constant chatter. But even when she’s home you feel this weight of expectations leading to our unreliable narrator. Now, this is where my knowledge of the first movie would’ve come in handy because if the Smile wasn’t a thing, I would’ve seen the horror hallucinations and passing of time being a byproduct of her recovery. It reminded me of Natalie Portman's demise and descent into madness like in Black Swan, as the expectations of her brand and image take precedence over her actual well-being. “This is gonna ruin the tour”. But every time I was getting excited and interested in watching Skye have a panic attack the stupid horror movie reared its head. And it’s the small simple moments of tension that stood out to me.

One moment when she’s listening to Peter Jacobson talk about the possibility of destroying the demon. As the flood of absurd information rolls in, her phone keeps buzzing getting louder and louder. Although not wholly unique, it was an effective method to bring your heart rate up.

Yet for every effective moment of horror and tension, there's a weaker less effective segment that reminded me it was a sequel to Smile. While losing her mind she sees a group of smiling people in her house that moves while she’s not looking at them or moving. As the cast here were dancers, they were able to pose and contort their bodies in an unsettling way. Or once we witness the catalyst of Skye's trauma. As we watch the couple argue in the car the camera spins around from character to character similar to the car set piece in Children of Men (2006). Yet when the crash happens you’re pulled out by the awkward-looking visual effects. Yet, the use of practical effects is very effective and extremely well done when they bother to use them. Specifically, I think of the aftermath of the car crash with a visceral yet simple broken bone effect.

I also wrote, VOSS, in my notes and I’m not sure why… Maybe I felt like a VOSS water after watching. Not sure.

What I assume is a part of the monster lore, is that The Smile can alter your reality as we constantly get pulled in and out of hallucinations. For some reveals and twists, it actually works pretty well. When you look back and piece everything together some details are hinted at early on in the scene. For example, after reconnecting with a childhood friend, Gemma (Dylan Gelula), who she had since had a falling out with, it's revealed she’s been a Smile hallucination. And with the old movie setup of, “Did they interact with anyone else other than the lead?” to allow you to call it out beforehand, there are smaller details such as seeing text messages not being answered or fake time skips.

And while the smaller moments like this gave me a smirk the ending felt pretty cheap. The entire ending is a hallucination, which again, looking back at some small details reveals it earlier to the audience. Yet when the entire set piece can be removed and skipped right to the "true" ending, it feels like time wasted. I’m not huge on the “It was all a dream” trope because I used it so much while in grades 3 - 4. And it sucks because the true ending in concept is pretty disturbing as The Smile is shared with an entire stadium of children. But all the deaths and tension before that just meant nothing.

These movies are the most frustrating as you can see a silhouette of what could be an interesting character study through the lens of a Snapchat filter smile. Parker Finn does horror right, as character drama should exist outside the monster. But the smile didn’t feel like it actually added anything to the drama. It can be argued that it replicates the feeling of isolation, no one believing you when something is wrong with "the show much go on" attitude to your well-being as she’s constantly at odds with her managers. Yet the monster as a metaphor just wasn’t very effective. It’s just a stupid smile at the end of the day.