Happy, Texas leaves an undeniable warm glow, but not much else.
Comment
01/01/00
Happy, Texas (1999)
82
%
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker
Director: Mark Illsley
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Reviews for Happy, Texas
Happy, Texas is a good, winning combination of imitation and inventiveness.
01/01/00
...a wellspring of sweet, effervescent humor that reminds us that comedies don't have to be all about fart jokes and bathroom humor.
01/01/00
Top CriticVery, very, tears-rolling-down-your-face funny.
12/08/02
Happy, Texas is an inspired comedy/love story.
01/01/00
Uneven in places but with a few choice hilarious moments, it is well worth the rental.
01/01/00
Every bit as cheery as the title implies--but good will can only go so far.
01/03/09
This is one of those comedies that doesn't pound us on the head with the obvious, but simply lets us share vast amusement.
01/01/00
Top CriticJeremy Northam gives a deft performance and Steve Zahn is especially brilliant in delineating his character's transformation from illiterate lug to finicky choreographer.
01/09/02
With his sandy hair askew and his moustache overgrown, Zahn is a bona fide comic scene stealer.
01/01/00
The set-up is so strong that it's impressive to see it progress so effortlessly.
12/08/02
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.
01/01/00
Top CriticAlmost everybody in this not-so-funny comedy is giddy and cuddlesome with a gosh-oh-gee enthusiasm that is at first engaging but quickly becomes a sign of a desperation to be liked.
01/01/00
Top Critic...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...
12/02/02
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.
01/29/07
Top Critic...an irresistibly winsome and winning comedy...
06/05/02
Happy, Texas is a light, breezy and very amusing comedy.
01/01/00
It's a breath of fresh air to review a film that, having received an award from the Sundance Film Festival, actually deserves the accolade.
04/03/02
A joyous entertainment, tinged with an appealing innocence both singular and welcome in contemporary American film.
01/01/00
For those of us that could use a little mirth in our lives, the good-spirited Happy, Texas with its silly script and adorable antics is just what we need.
01/01/00
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