Happiness

10 August 2015

Happiness 1998

• Director: Todd Solondz
• Based on Book: No
• Cast: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Cynthia Stevenson, Louise Lasser, Ben Gazzara, Camryn Mannheim, Jared Harris
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jane Adams – Little Children, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, You’ve Got Mail
• Jon Lovitz – Friends, The Wedding Singer, Lethal Weapon, A League of Their Own
• Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Hunger Games (all of them), The Invention of Lying, The Boat that Rocked, Cold Mountain, Punch Drunk Love, Almost Famous, State and Main, Flawless, The Big Lebowski, Boogie Nights, The Scent of a Woman
• Dylan Baker –Two Days in New York, Across the Universe, Spider-Man 2, Road to Perdition, Changing Lanes, Requiem for a Dream, The Stars Fell on Henrietta, Life with Mikey, The Last Mohican, The Long Walk Home
• Lara Flynn Boyle -  Red Rock West, Twin Peaks, Dead Poets Society
• Cynthia Stevenson – Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me
• Louise Lasser -  Requiem for a Dream
• Ben Gazzara – Dogville, The Big Lebowski, Voyage of the Damned, Run for Your Life
• Camryn Mannheim – Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion
• Jared Harris – Fringe, Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, The Other Boleyn Girl, Igby Goes Down, How to Kill Your Neighbour’s Dog, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dead Man, Smoke, The Last Mohican
• Why: It’s the prequel to another Solondz film that we have. When I’d bought it I realised that we’ve already seen it but that’s OK.
• Seen: Once before. Now 2 August 2015 

A series of monologues and dialogues between a variety of losers. Broken relationships, violent fantasies – or maybe they’re not all fantasies? – some really bizarre sexual behaviour. A lot of loneliness, failure, dissatisfaction and misunderstanding and betrayal.

All of the characters are connected in some way to three sisters – their parents, spouses, colleagues, neighbours, doormen, students – and they’re each more pathetic and needy than the next.

It’s called a comedy but there wasn’t much to laugh about. Mostly I did a lot of wincing. It’s quite depressing and definitely weird.

I liked it.

3 * of 5