Happiness (1998)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz (writer)

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Three middle-class New Jersey sisters all have their problems with their families and sex lives.

Plot Keywords:

Sister | Restaurant | Marriage | Parent | New Jersey

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Jane Adams	...	Joy Jordan
Jon Lovitz	...	Andy Kornbluth
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Allen
Dylan Baker	...	Bill Maplewood
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Helen Jordan
Justin Elvin	...	Timmy Maplewood
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Trish Maplewood
Lila Glantzman-Leib	...	Chloe Maplewood
Gerry Becker	...	Psychiatrist
Rufus Read	...	Billy Maplewood
Louise Lasser	...	Mona Jordan
Ben Gazzara	...	Lenny Jordan
Camryn Manheim	...	Kristina
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Detective Berman
Molly Shannon	...	Nancy

Also Known As:

Todd Solondz's Untitled (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rating surrendered; previously rated NC-17.

Runtime:

134 min | USA:141 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Alberta/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:R21 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM18 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating: 1999) | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1999)

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Todd Solondz]as the doorman in Allen, Helen, and Kristina's building.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When the police officers are sitting in Bill Maplewood's house.

Quotes:

Bill: What Ronald Farber doesn't know is that it's not length that matters, it's width.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ken Park (2002)

Soundtrack:

Concerto for Guitar in D Major

A compelling watch, which will both amuse and seriously disturb

Happiness - which centres around the lives of three sisters - Joy who's permanently unlucky in love, Helen a successful poet whose next door neighbour is obsessed with her and phones to explain this in graphic detail and finally there's Trish who has it all, a big house, a couple of kids and a successful psychiatrist husband who himself harbours uncontrollable urges.

The sisters are all somewhat fractured of mind - for example Lara Flyn Boyle's character plays an author suffering writers block bemoaning the fact that she wasn't abused as a child that could lend her work some authenticity - so she's delighted when she gets an obscene phone from a one of the many fat ugly sex obsessed dysfunctioning American neurotics that seem to be this seasons slim sexy movie star successes. Happiness manages to be truly provocative and also madly comical at one and the same time... for instance I never thought I could feel sympathy for a paedophile or a bloke making obscene phone calls but with tact and courage Happiness confronts these modern folk devils.

Happiness is anything but; as the characters lives intertwine in the search for happiness they find only loneliness, obsession and some serious psychological problems. In particular the psychiatrists story is remarkable with performances second to none as he tries to explain to his son about his paedophile tendencies.

Happiness explodes some of the fear related misconceptions showing that repression is the oppression of our generation... as if an open mind is just that. Open and willing for some perverted notion to crawl right in...

Directed by Todd Solondz Happiness is a slice of American life that isn't normally dealt with this honesty, making it a compelling watch, which will both amuse and seriously disturb for its two hours and fifteen minutes running time. Happiness is a must see.