Happy Hour (2003)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mike Bencivenga

Writers:

Mike Bencivenga (writer)
Richard Levine (screenplay)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A love story, straight up with a twist.

Plot:

Set in present day New York City, "Happy Hour" is a literate and often funny story of love and how to receive it...

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia	...	Tulley
Eric Stoltz	...	Levine
Caroleen Feeney	...	Natalie
Robert Vaughn	...	Tulley Sr.
Sandrine Holt	...	Bonnie
Thomas Sadoski	...	Scott
Mario Cantone	...	Geoffrey
Malachy McCourt	...	Dr. Pitcoff
Michael Mulheren	...	Kelly
Miriam Sirota	...	Rachel
Cate Smit	...	Publicist
Sam Breslin Wright	...	Chris
Randy Evans	...	Dave
Michael Minutoli	...	Bruiser
Sean Conroy	...	Doorman

Runtime:

USA:93 min (Los Angeles Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Davis Entertainment Filmworks

Quotes:

Levine: I don't suppose she has a sister.
Tulley: Three brothers.
Levine: I can't catch a break. What's her mother like?

Movie Connections:

References Tell Your Children (1936)

Old-Fashioned Portrait of A Charismatic Alcoholic

"Happy Hour" is a well-acted but dated feeling portrait of an alcoholic.

Far less harrowing than addiction films from "Days of Wine and Roses" and "The Lost Weekend" to "Permanent Midnight," writer/director Mike Bencivenga makes a heavy drinker and his enablers out to be genial wasters of talent until the physical ramifications become unavoidable.

Anthony LaPaglia is a charismatic alcoholic, if a mean supervisor at work, and we have to accept that is enough to justify the noble loyalty of a teacher he picks up in a bar and his best friend, a long-time co-worker. The triangle is also old-fashioned, barely hinting at the kinds of depths as are in "A Home at the End of the World." There's a brief mention in passing that his mother is also an alcoholic, but the friends seem to be social drinkers who were just keeping him company drink for drink, and can give it up at will and be inspired by LaPaglia's character to change their lives.

The voice-over narration is a bit "Sunset Boulevard"-ish, but is fit into the story line of the central character as a writer finishing his book.

Nice NYC touches: to have LaPaglia be a kind of Delbert McClinton in Mary Lou Lord's band and to have his dad, as played by Robert Vaughn, be part of a circle at The Algonquin that includes such noted commentators on heavy drinking as Pete Hamill and Steve Dunleavy.