Smile
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After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
What critics thought
Smile lands as a broadly effective horror film that earns its scares through sharp editing, unsettling imagery, and a committed lead performance from Sosie Bacon — but critics split sharply over whether it amounts to more than a competent collage of its influences. The central conceit is genuinely creepy, yet the stretch from short film to feature repeatedly exposes the seams, with detractors calling it derivative of The Ring, It Follows, and others.
“Smile navigates unhealed trauma through a supernatural lens and mischievous juxtaposition, despite feeling like a shadow of other stories”
Marisa Mirabal·IndieWire
“Smile is often a gimmicky, even corny horror movie, packed with so many jump-scares that the sheer pile-on borders on laughable... But no matter how excessively the legitimate scares pile up, they're startling and convincing. The editing and music are impressively tuned for maximum impact whenever the slow-burning tension resolves with an abrupt, ugly surprise. All of which makes Smile an efficient ride, if an unusually unrelenting one.”
Tasha Robinson·Polygon
“In padding out the concept from an 11-minute short into a nearly two-hour movie, Smile leans too heavily not only on formulaic mystery plotting, but also on horror themes and imagery lifted from popular hits like The Ring and It Follows.”
Katie Rife·RogerEbert.com
“The image of a creepy, sinister smile is so primal and so chilling that it might have inspired something truly penetrating, but, sadly, this horror movie is content to fall back on noisy jump scares.”
Jeffrey M. Anderson·Common Sense Media
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Parker FinnDirector
Sosie BaconRose Cotter
Kyle GallnerJoel
Jessie T. UsherTrevor
Robin WeigertDr. Madeline Northcott
Caitlin StaseyLaura Weaver
Kal PennDr. Morgan Desai
Rob MorganRobert Talley
Gillian ZinserHolly
Judy ReyesVictoria Munoz
Jack SochetCarl Renken
Nick ArapoglouGreg
Perry StrongDetective Buckley
Cristóbal Tapia de VeerComposer
Charlie SarroffCinematographySmile
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain.
What critics thought
Smile lands as a broadly effective horror film that earns its scares through sharp editing, unsettling imagery, and a committed lead performance from Sosie Bacon — but critics split sharply over whether it amounts to more than a competent collage of its influences. The central conceit is genuinely creepy, yet the stretch from short film to feature repeatedly exposes the seams, with detractors calling it derivative of The Ring, It Follows, and others.
“Smile navigates unhealed trauma through a supernatural lens and mischievous juxtaposition, despite feeling like a shadow of other stories”
Marisa Mirabal·IndieWire
“Smile is often a gimmicky, even corny horror movie, packed with so many jump-scares that the sheer pile-on borders on laughable... But no matter how excessively the legitimate scares pile up, they're startling and convincing. The editing and music are impressively tuned for maximum impact whenever the slow-burning tension resolves with an abrupt, ugly surprise. All of which makes Smile an efficient ride, if an unusually unrelenting one.”
Tasha Robinson·Polygon
“In padding out the concept from an 11-minute short into a nearly two-hour movie, Smile leans too heavily not only on formulaic mystery plotting, but also on horror themes and imagery lifted from popular hits like The Ring and It Follows.”
Katie Rife·RogerEbert.com
“The image of a creepy, sinister smile is so primal and so chilling that it might have inspired something truly penetrating, but, sadly, this horror movie is content to fall back on noisy jump scares.”
Jeffrey M. Anderson·Common Sense Media
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Parker FinnDirectorSosie BaconRose CotterKyle GallnerJoelJessie T. UsherTrevorRobin WeigertDr. Madeline NorthcottCaitlin StaseyLaura WeaverKal PennDr. Morgan DesaiRob MorganRobert TalleyGillian ZinserHollyJudy ReyesVictoria MunozJack SochetCarl RenkenNick ArapoglouGregPerry StrongDetective BuckleyCristóbal Tapia de VeerComposerCharlie SarroffCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy