Today's L.A. Times profile of Anna Faris starts out rather predictably, if you've been reading Vulture recently: "The weeks before Labor Day at movie theaters tend to be a dumping ground for critical duds." We said that! "Although reviews of the movie were mixed overall, critics singled out Faris' turn as a bubble-headed Playboy bunny, praising her as a worthy heir to such dizzy dames as Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday." That too! Then suddenly there's a … twist:

Faris brought the character to writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, whose "Legally Blonde" catapulted Reese Witherspoon into the top rank of Hollywood actresses. Her original conception of Shelley was, she admits, "much darker": a hardened drug addict returning home to her conservative small town, perhaps to her abusive father. The reaction, fortunately, was skeptical. "When I told the writers, they were like, 'Hmmm. Or she could become a house mom!' " Faris says.

Emphasis ours, because … whoa. The House Bunny could have been less Legally Blonde and more Sherrybaby. Dark Knight, consider yourself lucky: You could have had some real competition.

'House Bunny' may open doors for Anna Faris [LAT]