Smile Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

Ups...

7. Sosie Bacon's Strong Performance

The undeniable glue holding Smile together is lead actress Sosie Bacon - daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick - who gives a remarkable performance in the role of Rose.

From the haunting opening sequence all the way through to the ending, Bacon gives a thoroughly convincing turn as a woman utterly immersed in traumas both past and present.

Bacon's steely turn ensures Rose quickly becomes a likeable, sympathetic lead, making viewers feel her frustration as those around her refuse to take her situation seriously, instead pawning it off as the ramblings of a mentally ill woman.

It's an emotionally demanding part and the film wouldn't work nearly as well with a less-capable actress in the lead, yet Bacon's in basically every scene in the movie and remains a transfixing presence for the entirety.