Two of my favorite screenwriters dropped the ball with their disappointing treatment of The House Bunny. Previously, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith earned my admiration for such delightful comedies as Legally Blonde, Ella Enchanted and 10 Things I Hate about You. This time, unfortunately, the film made from their screenplay comes across like a long -- and not very amusing -- Saturday Night Live sketch. Maybe that’s because it’s directed by Fred Wolf, who has served as head writer for that popular TV show. Still, most of the ridiculous lines star Anna Faris has to deliver here probably came from Lutz or Smith -- so I can’t let them off the hook that easily.

Inspired by the oft-used Pygmalion/My Fair Lady theme, The House Bunny features Faris (My Super Ex Girfriend) as Shelley, a former Playboy bunny who finds work as the house mother for seven nerdy Zeta sorority sisters. The Zetas face losing their house unless they can attract 30 pledges. So, of course, Shelley helps transform these young women into glamorous versions of themselves. She also teaches them how to party and be attractive to the opposite sex -- all the important things for college coeds to know, right? If they follow Shelley’s advice, pledges galore will surely materialize.

Being helpful to the Zetas gives Shelley the same kind of “family feeling” she had while living at the Playboy mansion, so she’s very happy with her new job. And she meets Oliver (Colin Hanks), a nursing home director who seems to enjoy her company -- until she goofs up with dumb comments and silly pratfalls.

Will the newly made-over Zetas become just like those snooty members of other sororities on campus? Will they be able to keep their house? Can Shelley win Oliver’s love if she studies hard and learns how to carry on a normal conversation? If you care about the answers to these questions, you’re more easily entertained than I am.               

While Faris looks gorgeous and nails her “dumb blonde with a heart of gold” persona in most scenes, the rest of The House Bunny hops limply along. However, I did perk up every time Emma Stone (Superbad) came on screen. Her excellent portrayal of Natalie, the most genial Zeta, made me wish I was watching her in another movie. But it’s almost criminal to cast the beautiful, talented Katharine McPhee (from American Idol) in such a limited appearance as the pregnant member of the Zetas. Why not showcase her singing at least one song all the way through? Hey, it could’ve been a lullaby and fit right in.       

DISCLAIMER: Although The House Bunny evoked only a few laughs from me, many other viewers -- mostly male -- guffawed throughout the screening I attended. It seems comedy, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG-13” for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language.)