As a seasoned film critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that “Smile 2” is a rollercoaster ride of emotional turmoil and psychological horror that leaves you questioning your own sanity long after the credits roll. The movie masterfully weaves together themes of guilt, grief, and redemption, set against the backdrop of the cutthroat world of showbiz.
“Smile 2
Following the massive triumph of “Smile”, news about a follow-up swiftly followed. Finn was back at the helm for directing duties. The second installment, titled “Smile 2“, hit theaters globally on October 18, 2024, and has garnered mainly favorable responses, boasting an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics. In the upcoming horror movie showdown at the box office, “Smile 2” will clash with “Terrifier 3“, another sequel, during the chilling season. Last week, it outranked “Joker: Folie à deux” to claim the top spot.
What Is Smile 2 About?
| Smile 2 | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson and Kyle Gallner |
| Written By | Parker Finn |
| Directed By | Parker Finn |
6 days post Rose Cotter’s suicide in the 2022 horror sensation, former police officer Joel (Kyle Gallner) attempts to transfer the Smile entity to two criminals at their covert hideout. He fatally shoots one of them, triggering a gunfight with the remaining, who succumbs shortly afterward. Lewis Fregoli (Lukas Gage), a drug dealer initially slated as a witness, witnesses the chain of events and finds himself under the entity’s curse instead. Joel manages to escape but meets an untimely end at the hands of an approaching vehicle.
The events relocate to New York City, and follow pop star, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), as she gets ready for a huge comeback tour. She’s been out of action for a while following issues with drugs and a car crash that killed her partner, Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson), and she is dealing with unresolved trauma from that. Her mother and manager, Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt), and her assistant, Joshua (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), keep her under strict supervision to keep her on the straight and narrow. However, she slips out to buy some painkillers from her friend, Lewis, to help with her bad back caused by the crash. But, Lewis is in a bad way and is acting strangely, and smashes his face with a weight plate and dies. Knowing the potential ramifications for her, Skye decides not to call the police and flees the scene. Skye tries to put the incident behind her and prepares for her tour, but this is when the hallucinations begin, which includes people weirdly smiling at her. She is also pressured by her mother into speaking at a charity event, while also reconnecting with her old friend Gemma, after a year of not speaking.
Later in the evening, Skye experiences a terrifying dream about Paul’s demise prior to receiving a mysterious text, warning her of impending danger. At a charity gathering, the teleprompter malfunctions, leading Skye to veer off course and share her personal struggles. The teleprompter resumes, and she regains composure, continuing with her speech until it mentions her late husband, Paul. This is followed by an illusion of Paul smiling at her, which inadvertently causes Skye to assault an elderly individual, exacerbating the tension between herself and her record label.
Key Facts About Smile 2
- Skye’s husband, Paul, is played by Jack Nicholson’s son, Ray.
- Drew Barrymore plays herself in an early scene where Skye appears on her talk show.
Fascinated by another enigmatic message from an unidentified source, Skye decides to meet with the individual in question, who turns out to be Morris, a fresh character in the series Smile 2. Morris shares his personal connection with this mysterious being, as it was responsible for his brother’s death. He hints that the curse can be lifted, but there’s a condition: Skye must technically die so the entity can depart, since it keeps shifting to another person otherwise. Morris assures Skye that he will revive her once the entity has moved on.
Later on, Skye is rehearsing and is attacked by the entity again. She blames the back-up dancers, but they look baffled by her accusatory nature. The director confirms that there was no attack, and when Skye looks down at her leg, there is no sign of any injury, and it was just another hallucination. Her concussion fuels a traumatic flashback to the night of the fatal car accident. Skye and Paul were having a huge argument, and it ended with a drug-addled Skye reaching over and taking the wheel, causing the horrific crash, and Paul’s subsequent death.
How Does Smile 2 End?
In a rehabilitation facility, Skye awakens to find her mother, Elizabeth, beside her bed. Instead of offering comfort, Elizabeth berates Skye for her recent actions, neglecting Skye’s own suffering and insisting she completes the tour even though she’s not mentally prepared. Overwhelmed by the entity within her, Skye lashes out, attacking Elizabeth fatally. Escaping her room, she encounters Joshua who warns the security about her escape. However, Skye manages to flee, then hops into a vehicle. As she exits, Gemma splashes coffee on herself, swearing loyalty to her old friend, and jumps into the car, taking control of the wheel.
Ride or Die
In the car on their way to meet Morris for their plan, Skye receives an unexpected call from Gemma, even though Gemma was sitting beside her. It turns out that Gemma is actually the entity, disguising herself as a friend. Skye eventually meets up with Morris at a dilapidated pizza parlor, and here’s the plan: he will stop her heart by putting her in a large freezer for a certain duration, allowing the entity to vacate her body. Morris leaves Skye in the freezer but fails to return. As she lies on the table, blood drips from above onto her, and she sees that the entity has taken over a younger version of herself, who lands on top of her, initiating a struggle. Skye quickly injects herself with a syringe to halt her heart just in time. However, it turns out that everything was a delusion, and Skye awakens on the opening night of her comeback tour. The entity has transformed into a massive monster with a wide grinning mouth. After she rips open her stomach, the monster crawls into her body, culminating in a tragic ending where Skye is now possessed and stabs herself in the eye, ultimately succumbing to her injuries. The curse spreads to everyone present who witnessed the dreadful events.
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2024-10-20 00:34