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Movies / On DVD / Happy, Texas
Happy, Texas

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Happy, Texas (1999)

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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]

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Release:

Apr 11, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Happy, Texas

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Full of bumbling schemes, sexual deception and mistaken identities, the film occasionally lets some hambone moments creep in, but Zahn and the amazing Macy as the town's oddly secretive sheriff are the icing on this zany cake.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

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

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Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Anybody with a soft spot for fakers, who either identifies with them or just admires their chutzpah, is going to get a kick out of Happy, Texas.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Happy, Texas is a light, breezy and very amusing comedy.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob McCabe
Bob McCabe
Empire Magazine

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

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Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

A joyous entertainment, tinged with an appealing innocence both singular and welcome in contemporary American film.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

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

Uneven in places but with a few choice hilarious moments, it is well worth the rental.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Emma Cochrane
Emma Cochrane
Empire Magazine

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

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Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Mairs
Gary Mairs
culturevulture.net

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Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

With his sandy hair askew and his moustache overgrown, Zahn is a bona fide comic scene stealer.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

...a wellspring of sweet, effervescent humor that reminds us that comedies don't have to be all about fart jokes and bathroom humor.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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

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

Click to read the article

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