Happiness

Rating:
Summary: A well-done and realistic movie that i wish i hadn't watched
Review: Although I guess I can see why people raved so much about this movie, I can't say that I really liked it myself. I guess that Solondz did a good job of interweaving several storylines with a minimum of confusion. He also somehow managed to make a host of creeps and wierdos look pathetically human. That's hard to do, but it actually made the movie worse, in my opinion. It really bothered me when I found myself starting to identify with a phone stalker. People have told me that they liked the message of the movie. I don't really know if I agree with them, because to be honest, I was unable to get past my shock at what was going on up on the screen to try and think about what it might mean. If Solondz was trying to make a point about life or society, then he might have considered a little bit of subtlety. Sure, middle class America doesn't look quite as prim and proper if you dig a little deeper, but that doesn't matter much to me when my stomach's turning upside down. However, I think that it was courageous of Solondz to actually put something like this together, and there will always be a place for movies that take a close look at the grittier side of reality. I'd just rather not watch them myself.

Rating:
Summary: Calm Down!!
Review: I think it's important to keep in mind that Happiness, although it is dark and disturbing, is only a movie. This movie was made for profit, and nothing sells better than shock value. This movie was made for an audience that wants to go in to a theater sit down and watch a shockingly, horribly, depressing movie for two hours and leave. As soon as the movie is over the audience can leave the theater, go home and realize that their lives aren't that bad. Of course this movie is shocking and gross, but no one would bother seeing this movie if it wasn't. No one would go and see Happiness if it were a mellow film about a group of people who had fulfilling, healthy, relationships. It wouldn't be interesting, and wouldn't be able to hold our attention. What makes people cringe about this movie is that it highlights what is most negative in our society. Yes, in our society there are pedophiles molesting children. Yes, there are a lot of people in bad relationships. People are unhappy. Happiness uses these depressing aspects of our society and magnifies them; they are then used as a device to strike a chord in people. All the characters were made to be too demented. Each character's dementia was heightened so much that it made the whole movie almost laughable. An example of this is the sweet woman down the hall who we find out kills the doorman, cuts up his body and stores it in the refrigerator. It's ridiculous, how can anyone take this film seriously? Happiness deals with depressing realistic situations that do occur in life; but this movie is as contrived as any action movie and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Rating:
Summary: real life or shock treatment
Review: I had to see this movie in my tragic narrative english class and left after only seeing half of it so my review will be completely opinionated and offensive to many people who find films like these "genius" and "daring". so what I want to know is why a film like this should have been made. yes i understand that it makes us face the realities of people who have trouble between love and lust and with child molestation. Great now i can watch the news but in a two hour film! The movie is offensinve and makes many realize that the world we live in is very disturbing, there is no point arguing that fact. But many other reviewers stated that it is a taste of what goes on next door and they were captivated by it and makes us as the viewers face this reality. Granted it does this but did it have to do it so graphically and with such disgust? Is a movie really that good if it makes us feel grossed out and disturbed? Is a film genius just because its on a subject matter that hollywood would not diplay regularly?How much shock value deos one movie need to get the point across? Really with a plot and cast like it had the director(who obviously did not get hugged alot as a child)could have done much more than attack the viewer and our senses with sooooo many graphic images. State the issue, yes! Make a point, great! But leave all that other visual and demented images out. Other comments that were said was if "people don't like it take a good long look at yourself", ok what the hell does that mean!!! I feel like Dr. Evil asking Scott, "whats the matter am I not hip enough"! would i recommend this film to anyone, hell no. Is it a good film? Well thats up to the person. i would never see one minute of it again but it has a strong statement to make once you get passed all the sexual propaganda the director uses to pass his film off as "genius".

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This film is truly a classic to be remembered. People in our American society are so afraid to talk about anything sex-related, including masturbation, molestation and just the beauty of making love. This movie explores these topics and more, some of which is offensive to close-minded or easily offended individuals . However I feel strongly that this movie should be seen by anyone who has an open mind to the many realities of our society. This movie shows the reality of our American culture that people are often seeing on the news or in magazines in a sugar coated form. This movie removes that sugar coated sensationalism and portrays the true meaning of the word dysfunctional. Throughout the movie there are several families and characters who in one way are all connected to each other, going through different problems, such as divorce, cheating, and low self-esteem. I like how the movie is not afraid to touch sensitive topics, it challenges the morals, values and beliefs of any individual. I really believe that this movie can open your mind to some of the extremes in our society, hopefully expanding your view on the diverse (not talked about) events in our world. I strongly recommend this film to people who are not afraid and open-minded enough to be subjected to a broad spectrum of sexual and dysfunctional events, ranging from the positive notions of love making and masturbation and the immoral negative ideas of child molestation, divorce and other things.

Rating:
Summary: Think this is sick, watch John Water's "Pink Flamingoes"
Review: At the beginning of this the movie started off really funny, and I thought it was going to pretty good. I was then startled by Jon Lovitz's outburst and then the movie started. As the movie progressed and moved through the lives of all these sick people we learn how they are related. Everyone of these people have some sick derangement in their psyche and no one in their right mind would want to act in any way like the people of this film. The scenes go from strange to stranger as it progresses into more things we are disturbed by, and yet I couldn't help but watch. While this is definitely not the most disturbing movie I have ever seen, it hits the closest to our lives. At one time in our life, we will pick up the phone, turn on the TV, listen to our radio or read in our local paper of a individual or group in are community that will commit this kind of act or one close to it. "Happiness" smacks up-side the head and shoves our faces into this world of evil and twisted things. While we must realize that this film is fiction, it's hard to do that when the acters do such a great job to being their characters to life. "Happiness" does have its moments, bits and pieces we see the humor involved with all the chaos that goes on in this film.

Rating:
Summary: Very disturbing film
Review: This is a very disturbing film. I didn't watch the whole thing because I was so disturbed. I even got scared of it towards the middle. It started off kind of funny and I thought it was just a dark comedy. As it went on it was just disturbingly dark, not funny at all. I understand the meaning behind it, which is a good meaning, people are different behind the scenes, everyone wears a mask. That's what this movie is about. Yes it's sick...is that wrong? No, different strokes for different folks. Everybody likes diferrent type of movies, this could be yours, it may not. I just didn't like it.

Rating:
Summary: Best film I've ever seen
Review: Living in Spain, we don't always get the chance to see current films that are not out of Hollywood. I heard from a friend of my wife, that this film was on in English, and that I shouldn't miss it. She couldn't have been more correct. From the opening scene to the closing titles I was constantly laughing. This is reality and Black Humour at it's best. Why is it that the general public hate to face up to the truth? Look at the headlines! This happens everyday in the world. If people are really disturbed by this film, maybe they should consider seeking medical help to try and deal with living in the REAL WOLRLD.

Rating:
Summary: Such hypocrites!
Review: I've never written one of these before, but I'm COMPELLED. I just saw this amazing movie for the first time. Apparently I was under a rock in 1998 because I only vaguely remember hearing about this film. I also saw American Beauty for the first time this week. After seeing Happiness, I went to IMDb and Amazon to see what other people thought as I did for American Beauty. It's become obvious that so many people find Happiness far more disturbing than American Beauty and the reason cited has always been the pedophilic father in Happiness. Did I miss something in American Beauty? Did THAT film not have the SAME subject matter? Is it because the pedophilic activity in American Beauty is male to female that people don't seem to notice? Does that somehow make this type of behavior more acceptable? Is it that American Beauty was deemed worthy of Best Picture by AMPAS? (I'm STILL trying to figure THAT one out!) I'm not going to waste your time by going on and on about Happiness. Suffice to say that "Happiness" is the film that "American Beauty" WISHES it were.

Rating:
Summary: NOBODY SAYS I LOVE YOU
Review: I usually like satiric movies. But I'm forced to admit that HAPPINESS deceived me a lot. In fact, it's typically the kind of movie I cannot bear. And I don't care if the impressive list of awards HAPPINESS has won speaks against me.

HAPPINESS tries to be a social satire of today american way of life. Communication seems to be the main interest of people but psychiatrists, modern phones and non-stop logorrhea cannot hide the fact that we don't understand each other anymore. Great subject but poor treatment from director Todd Solondz.

Maybe the two or three emotionally and intellectually shocking scenes of HAPPINESS can ravish the american intelligentsia always in search of the next director of the century. OK then ! Let them enjoy this movie whose themes have been treated by Robert Altman and Woody Allen since decades in a far more interesting manner.

Actors save HAPPINESS from total oblivion, they are all simply magistral. Video and audio are not so great and the menu is hideous.

A DVD for the snob ones.

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant, audacious masterpiece.....
Review: Taking risks that most filmmakers would never dream of, Todd Solondz has mangaged a rare feat in American film -- pushing the envelope of good taste without resorting to sophomoric shock humor while simultaneously creating realistic, complex characters. The film will no doubt offend many, but unlike the overwrought preachiness of many in Hollywood, Solondz respects the intelligence of the audience to come to their own conclusions. Because Americans tend to lean in the direction of self-righteousness and moral absolutism, we are left aghast when we witness a film that refrains from judgment. In addition, Solondz has created a film of unprecedented power and black humor, where loneliness and desperation are treated with the proper level of seriousness that so many films avoid. To be sure, there are big laughs in this film, but they come from our collective recognition rather than the belief that we are superior to the people on the screen. Every scene works perfectly; every performance contains the precise mixture of dignity and absurdity; and all is presented with the understanding that easy answers and forced closure are not parts of life, therefore they should remain absent from film. As a viewer, ask yourself one question: Given that all human beings are united in the desire to love, be loved, and express affection for another, what are those not "blessed" with socially acceptable traits (wealth, beauty, strength, even sanity) supposed to do? How do they capture that essential part of life? This film dares to ask that question and in many ways, provide disturbing answers.