Rating: 
Summary: A dark comedy for open-minded folks only.
Review: I was amazed by this film. Yes, I was shocked... yes, I was disgusted....and YES...I loved it! No, that doesn't make me perverted or sick! Somehow, I really liked all of these "dysfunctional" characters. I found myself sympathizing with each and every one of them......quite extraordinary, given their individual dispositions. The most amazing scene in this movie was when Dylan Baker prepared a drug-laced tuna salad sandwich for his son's friend and anxiously waited for the boy to eat it so that he could molest him; the reason I found this scene so incredible was that I could feel the anticipation........Todd Solondz managed to pull me in, as the viewer, and make me anticipate the ... [next scene] ! I am certain that many people would find this frightening, disgusting, and astoundingly disturbing, and that many more would deny the reaction altogether. I just find myself thinking that it takes an incredible talent to pull off such a film.......how could I have actually felt affection toward such a character?????? I suppose I could feel outraged, but then I remember that IT'S ONLY A MOVIE!!!!! That's the whole point...............I really liked this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Sick and Twisted
Review: This is a sick movie.There are 5 intertwined stories involving 1 family.A father who is a molester.three sisters who lives are just not what they expected...A Grandfather who decides to leave his wife after 40 years.and another neighbor who is a killer.This movie is funny nasty and pittiful at the same time..The person who wrote this has a sick mind.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting story, a bad script
Review: I just saw this movie and reading the reviews has made me want to watch it again, just to check on the cinematography and acting, and to see if I may like it better this time. I didn't the first.
The movie is very intense, but somewhat long. There are a lot of scenes that could be excluded making the plot more concise and powerful. In general the story line is interesting, but the pedophilia subject, takes the focus off the main characters and puts it on the father. When this happens, the story is no longer the same. Nothing matters much anymore: phone sex, rape or anything, they all become secondary. In fact it's no longer about (un)happiness, but rather about perversion. But the director seems to ignore this and keeps tackling the subject as happiness or it's lack.
However, he almost manages to save things near the end, in the living room scene, and in the bed scene (where two pitiful characters end up not quite together). But then the final scene (except for the salt--keep your eye on that), ruins the end if not the whole story: it's just void--it has no meaning. It might have tried to represent the ultimate failure, but it comes out as mere emptiness: did it mean anything for the kid at all? Why did he cry in the living room, then?
No, right now this movie feels just like a rough draft that didn't get any polishing. It's true, life is not polished, but art--even as blunt as this--should be. If not it means nothing.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible, albeit very dark film
Review: Happiness is, without a doubt, one of the most twisted, disturbing films I've ever seen. But it's also one of the best films I've ever seen. From the opening dinner scene to the closing dinner scene, Happiness doesn't fail to shock the viewer. There are scenes that will make you laugh, scenes that will make you cringe, and scenes that will make you depressed. In fact, my two favourite scenes of all time are in this movie. The first is the scene where Dylan Baker confesses to his son that he is a pedophile. This scene will simply break your heart. And the second scene which I love is when, near the end, Ben Gazzara puts salt on his food. I'm not gonna reveal why this is such a powerful scene. Watch the movie, and find out why. Happiness has been criticized by many people for being too disturbing, and for dealing with topics that shouldn't be dealt with (pedophilia, for instance). Well, the fact is, stuff like this does happen in the real world. And this is what makes Happiness such a great film: many of the characters have a dark secret, but on the surface, they seem like normal people. Simply put, Happiness is one of the top ten movies of the 90's, and one the every fan of cinema should see.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully Twisted
Review: One of the funniest movies I've ever seen, the characters are so pathetic its not too hard to laugh at them and feel better about yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely not for the squeamish....
Review: Very vivid/memorable film for those who enjoy challenging cinema (i.e., Erin Brockovich is NOT challenging cinema).No, we don't need this film banned and all involved blacklisted (as one US reviewer stated)...Nor do we need to consider reviews by people who could only make it half-way through this film (one reviewer left the movie after the openning scene and had the NERVE to leave a scathing review!). Enough ranting...this is one film you will NOT forget. Funny, shocking, sad--it's all here. You will find yourself cringing at several points throughout the film. A lot of ugly imagery and a lot of ugly characters populate this movie, but such is life! This made a lot of critics' "best of" for 1998, although I'm not sure I agree (although maybe I do...1998 was a long time ago). Anyway, one of the criticisms raised is that the pedophile in the movie is portrayed "sympathetically"....well, ya know what, folks, not all child molesters look/act like one-eyed ogres. The film touches on a lot of things that many of us have been through (late-life divorce, dreams of adventure outside our boring lives, teenage sexual confusion, etc.). I think this may be why so many people are horrified by this film. I've read more than one review that stated that the children in this film were abused in the process of making it...perhaps they were watching The Exorcist and not Happiness. I can think of no other explanation for that conclusion. If you can handle a film that seems uneven in its mood (shock, then humor, then empathy, etc.), and you have a taste for unusual cinema (again, Erin Brockovish is NOT unusual), this might be one of your favorites. Just brace yourself for an unflinching look into some of the darkest corners of humanity.
Rating:
Summary: Yikes! Ai-yi-yi! Awesome!
Review: First of all, I don't know why I hadn't heard of this film until this year. I loved Solondz's first film (Welcome to the Dollhouse). Well, this movie has the same dark humor as "Dollhouse," but to me is much more serious. I agree that if anyone out there sticks to warm and fuzzy stories, this movie is not a good choice. However, if you're into films that challenge your perceptions of the world around you, this is it! Honestly this movie was one of the best I've ever seen. Yes it did crack me up many times (Philip S. Hoffman's and Jon Lovits' characters were particularly pathetic and hysterically pitiful). In fact, the general "badness" or "sadness" of all the characters in this movie had to make you laugh...it's insane to think that the world is made up of picture perfect Beaver Cleaver families. To me the most crucial scene was the father's "confession" to his son...an incredibly powerful scene which was beautifully done. What I loved most about this movie is that every character was developed as complex, 3D human beings...unlike so many other movies which really simplify their characters. No, this is not a glorification of obscene phone callers, pedophiles, and adulterers...it's a comedy which uncovers some unhappy aspects of "happy" peoples' lives. It's an intelligent and outrageous film...see it today!
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunction Junction
Review: I felt so much better about my own family after seeing this group. Brilliant, compelling, repulsive black comedy about what really goes on behind picket fences and your neighbors apartment door. Go ahead...be a voyeur!!
Rating:
Summary: Twisted, jaw-dropping, brilliant
Review: I was almost afraid to watch this film, what with it's themes of rape/rape fantasy and child molestation/pediphilia. The comedy was black as pitch! While I won't be adding it to my collection (the last five minutes about made me toss my cookies), it was worthwhile viewing. And it leaves lots of residue in your brain -much to ponder about our society, our neighbors, our friends ...
Rating:
Summary: an extraordinary comedy noir that's painful to watch
Review: The ironically titled film, Happiness, is one of the best American independent films I've seen. A dark comedy that so bleak it makes its viewers cringe with nervous laughters. A more sophisticated, wise and succinct American Beauty and Magnolia. The Altman-esque film traces the life of several suburban loners and their quest in search of the almost mystical state of happiness. The film is filled with cynicism, dark humor, loneliness, anger, frustration, and helplessness. It mercilessly destroy all things middle-class American. The acting is superb. All the actors gave their best performance in this frank and brilliantly directed modern masterpiece. Highly recommended!
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