RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Happy, Texas
Happy, Texas

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Happy, Texas (1999)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
82 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:49

Fresh:40

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: A smart, light-hearted romantic comedy, Happy, Texas uses its well-written script and exceptional cast to prove there's still life left in the fish-out-of-water caper genre.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) are two escaped convicts who find themselves in Happy, Texas. When they are mistaken for a gay couple who are in town to host a local beauty... Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) are two escaped convicts who find themselves in Happy, Texas. When they are mistaken for a gay couple who are in town to host a local beauty pageant, they use the opportunity to slip into character and avoid the authorities. Obviously, the bumbling, heterosexual criminals don't have a clue as to what they're doing, and when romance appears in the form of a distraught banker (Walker) and a tacky teacher (Douglas), their real personas threaten to emerge and blow their cover. Zahn's hysterical performance won him a Special Jury Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. [More]

Starring: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker

Starring: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, M.C. Gainey, Ron Perlman, Paul Dooley, Tim Bagley, Michael Hitchcock, Mo Gaffney

Director: Mark Illsley

Director: Mark Illsley
Screenwriter: Mark Illsley, Phil Reeves, Ed Stone
Producer: Mark Illsley, Rick Montgomery, Ed Stone
Composer: Peter Harris

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Apr 11, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Happy, Texas

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Every bit as cheery as the title implies--but good will can only go so far.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/03/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Steve Zahn shines in Illsley's feature debut, elevating this eccentric small-town comedy two notches above the level of writing. Using the fish out of water format, this Sundance premiere begins well but then declines rapidly.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/29/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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

Click to read the article

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

first-time filmmaker Illsley displays a surprisingly firm yet gentle hand with both his script and his enormously appealing cast.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
11/14/05
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/21/04
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

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

Odd couple buddy picture with Rom-Com elements that work. Zhan gives one of his most hysterical performances to date. Lighthearted, watchable, and fun.

comment Comment
03/25/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

The set-up is so strong that it's impressive to see it progress so effortlessly.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Film Threat

Very, very, tears-rolling-down-your-face funny.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Merle Bertrand
Merle Bertrand
Film Threat

...although it reverts to slapstick for its set-piece chase finale, for most of its length Mark Illsley's debut film offers an unexpectedly gentle, even sentimental comedy of sexual identities...

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Philip Kemp
Philip Kemp
Sight and Sound

Bank-robbery/beauty-pageant caper is sweet, silly fun.

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

A charming fish-out-of-water romantic comedy, the modestly budgeted Happy, Texas more than makes up in heart what it lacks in splash.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
09/18/02
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Click to read the article

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

...an irresistibly winsome and winning comedy...

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Wade Major
Wade Major
Boxoffice Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts
53% 53% David & Layla

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Total Recall

Total Recall

John Travolta's top reviewed movies

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

What's Coming Out

What's Coming Out

Find movies for the holiday weekend!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
122
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
179
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
87
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
61
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
57
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
51
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
43
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
21
  • RT's Blu-ray Picks from WB
20
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
20
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
15
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Happy, Texas at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Animated Oscar?
Animated Oscar? External Link

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview External Link

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

Scenic Routes
Scenic Routes External Link

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.