Happy Endings (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Don Roos

Writer (WGA):

Don Roos (written by)

Release Date:

5 August 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

All's well that ends swell.

Plot:

Happy Endings weaves multiple stories to create a witty look at love, family and the sheer unpredictablity of life itself.

Plot Keywords:

Adoption | Filmmaker | Stepbrother | Gay | Baby

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Lisa Kudrow	...	Mamie
Steve Coogan	...	Charley
Jesse Bradford	...	Nicky
Bobby Cannavale	...	Javier
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Jude
Jason Ritter	...	Otis
Tom Arnold	...	Frank
David Sutcliffe	...	Gil
Sarah Clarke	...	Diane
Laura Dern	...	Pam
Hallee Hirsh	...	Mamie at 17
Eric Jungmann	...	Charley at 16 / Tom
Kim Morgan Greene	...	Connie Peppitone
Rayne Marcus	...	Annette
Caker Folley	...	Lauren

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Brazil:14 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

When Otis steals the security tape, a copy of _Wonderland (2003/I)_, featuring Lisa Kudrow, is lying on the desk.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the sunglasses in Jude's hands switches between shots as she's laying by the pool talking to Frank McKee.

Quotes:

Jude: [singing] How lucky am I?

Movie Connections:

References Secretary (2002)

Soundtrack:

Traveller

Maggie Gyllenhaal Steals This Film POSSIBLE SPOILERS

In her role as a sexy, unscrupulous gold-digger, Maggie Gyllenhaal steals this picture out from under the noses of her co-stars. Lisa Kudrow is excellent as the teen-age mom who gave her baby away at birth -- and she and her step-brother who made her pregnant are sympathetic figures as is Laura Dern as a lesbian mother. Maggie, on the other hand, acting the part of an amoral, ruthless temptress, ready to seduce a young homosexual then leave him for his wealthy father, is irresistible. I don't know how much the sound engineers are responsible for her singing and how much of the credit belongs Maggie herself, but she also produces several wonderful moments as a singer, edging her way into an aspiring band.

Comparing this film to the work of Robert Altman is an enormous stretch. Happy Endings is episodic and overlaps several different plots but that's where the comparison begins and ends. Altman was a master. This is a journeyman's film: fun but forgettable.