Anna Faris

In Spa Weekend (2026), Anna Faris and Leslie Mann help make the group pleasant company even when the jokes are poor. We enjoyed their easy rapport, then grew frustrated by the tired wellness jokes. As Sophie, Faris gives the ensemble some warmth, but she cannot make its unconvincing sentiment feel earned. It is a poor film, and her presence makes the shortage of good material more noticeable rather than giving us a reason to forgive it.

What we value in Faris is her willingness to let a character be foolish without treating her as worthless. She uses her face and her body for broad laughs while playing the character's confusion sincerely. Her breakthrough film role as Cindy Campbell in 2000 established that comic presence. The House Bunny (2008), with Faris as Shelley Darlington, gives a useful further example of her ability to make an absurd character appealing. There is skill in keeping that affection alive without softening the physical comedy.

The smaller dramatic parts matter too: Kelly in Lost in Translation (2003) and Lashawn Malone in Brokeback Mountain (2005) show that her likeability need not depend on slapstick. They did not become a sustained run of dramatic leads. Television supplied a longer stretch as Christy Plunkett in Mom (2013), opposite Allison Janney, giving her a continuing character rather than another film role. Her frequent casting in broad studio comedy can make those quieter contributions easy to overlook, particularly when the weaker scripts keep asking her to compensate for them.

But Spa Weekend also shows why a defence of Faris should not become an excuse for everything she appears in. Michelle Buteau's Coco has the more developed character, while Isla Fisher gives Mel an unruliness the film needs. Faris and Mann are agreeable together, yet the writing offers too little for their company alone to justify an evening. We would start with The House Bunny for her ability to make a ridiculous character matter, rather than assume a familiar ensemble will be enough.