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Movies / On DVD / Happiness
Happiness

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Happiness (1998)

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84 %
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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:36

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Building on the darkly comic angst of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, Todd Solondz's HAPPINESS conveys suburban desperation and frustration on a larger scale than his previous film. The ensemble cast of... Building on the darkly comic angst of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, Todd Solondz's HAPPINESS conveys suburban desperation and frustration on a larger scale than his previous film. The ensemble cast of characters centers around the lives of three sisters: Joy (Jane Adams), an awkward, naive, and unlucky musician; Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle), a beautiful, self-obsessed writer; and Trish (Cynthia Stevenson), a conservative housewife who is married to Bill (Dylan Baker), a psychiatrist harboring an unhealthy fascination for young boys. Other dysfunctional characters include the sisters' unhappy parents, Lenny and Mona Jordan (Ben Gazzara and Louise Lasser), and the lonely, sex-obsessed Allen (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who lives next to Helen and goes to Bill for therapy. At once both scathingly funny and shockingly bleak, HAPPINESS addresses subjects that most films are afraid to touch, including pedophilia and masturbation. Unapologetic and unflinching, Solondz's film features bold performances from the entire cast and makes for uneasy but intriguing viewing as it peers behind the fragile facade of the American dream. [More]

Starring: Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle

Starring: Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Camryn Manheim, Jared Harris, Cynthia Stevenson, Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser, Jon Lovitz, Justin Elvin

Director: Todd Solondz

Director: Todd Solondz
Screenwriter: Todd Solondz
Producer: Ted Hope, Christine Vachon
Composer: Robbie Kondor

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 27, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Happiness

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Exhibits an almost pitch-perfect balance between condescension and compassion.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
10/20/09
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/06/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Happiness is tough stuff -- quietly confrontational, genuinely haunting, and, most disturbing of all, unexpectedly moving.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/17/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

By far Solondz's best film, an original exploration of American suburban angst, with three Chekhovian sisters at the center and a gallery of "deviant" characters that are presented with humor in a non-judgmental way, including a father who's pedophile.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
10/10/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
David Denby
David Denby
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’ll soon have you quoting German existential philosophers in coming to terms with it . . .

Full Review Source: Movie Gurus | comment Comment
09/24/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Movie Gurus

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

Even in the darkest, sickest moments, there's always some kind of humor [but] what makes this comedy superior to most is that it remains painfully sincere.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
08/21/02
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine
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Latest News for Happiness

August 28, 2008: Solondz Finds Further Happiness Opens in new window
Todd Solondz' next film, once known as "Life During Wartime" but currently untitled, will be a "part-sequel, part-companion piece" to 1998's "Happiness." More...

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