Margarita Happy Hour (2001)

Synopsis: Zelda (Eleanor Hutchins) was queen of the artsy downtown scene in Brooklyn--until she decided to have a baby. What happens to the punk princess who becomes a single mom? It's not an easy transition. Her boyfriend, Max (played by indie... Zelda (Eleanor Hutchins) was queen of the artsy downtown scene in Brooklyn--until she decided to have a baby. What happens to the punk princess who becomes a single mom? It's not an easy transition. Her boyfriend, Max (played by indie director Larry Fessenden), who thinks he's the next Jack Kerouac and has a taste for womanizing, alcohol and violence, is little help. To make matters worse, her friends gravitate toward cocaine and very loud music. Zelda tries in vain to sing her baby to sleep as the walls of her communal Brooklyn loft vibrate to the beat of the party. She finds some respite in her weekly meetings with a group of other "floozy" moms, who bring their toddlers to the margarita happy hour at a local bar. There, the women trade stories and support each other through their difficult journey of young motherhood. Zelda is able to scrape by, picking up some cash as a freelance illustrator for a porn magazine. But after her rock-chick junkie pal, Natali (Holly Ramos), comes back into her life, Zelda starts to wonder whether perhaps it's time for the party to end. Director Ilya Chaiken was herself a single mother living in New York while making this film, and her experiences surely have helped give the characters and story the ring of truth. The film's quintet of single women (reminiscent of the characters on SEX AND THE CITY) are not very glamorous--they are earthy and raw, dealing with the hard realities of trying to mix motherhood with their alternative lifestyles. In their own ways, they succeed. [More]

Starring: Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Holly Ramos, Barbara Sicuranza

Starring: Eleanor Hutchins, Larry Fessenden, Holly Ramos, Barbara Sicuranza, Amanda Vogel, Kristin Dispaltro, Macha Ross, Michael Buscemi, Jonah Leland

Director: Ilya Chaiken

Director: Ilya Chaiken
Screenwriter: Ilya Chaiken
Producer: Michael Ellenbogen, Susan Leber
Studio: Passport Pictures

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