Happiness
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.94 You Save: $6.00 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.98 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Happiness
Movie Review: A sickening tale of the monsters inside of us all.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a deeply disturbing film about some indiviuals that have some hidden motivations. One is a secretive child molster(Dylan Baker), One is a author that writes about rape, and yet thinks about experiencing it(Laura Flynn Boyle), One has sexual frustrations, and is social inenmpt, and makes sexually explicit phone calls to total strangers(Philip Semyour Hoffman), One has totally bizzare commitment issues(Jane Adams). All of their issues, slowly, but surely connect themselves together. All of the issues get out, eventually, but they don't show themselves to other people. Instead, they go back into hiding, into the pits of the person's conciousness.
Hmm, I was expecting this film to be horrible, because Todd Solondz has a reputation of glorifying the gruesome. As I was going to watch this film, I had no previous experience in his other films, and I have had only learned from a film website. So, I decided to rent this, based on that review alone, and I have to say that I was suprised. Solondz really gets the most out of his actors. He really divulges into the worlds of those semingly normal people, and shows what they really are on the inside, in a brillant fashion. I was floored by the shocking last line and reaction of this film. It left me stunned that such a film took such a gruesome subject, and made it into its own little world. THe writing of this movie is sharp and disturbing. The describing of what Bill Maplewood(Dylan Baker) did and having him explain it to his son, is mind blowingly disturbing. This film is brillant for its portrayal of the not so pretty world.
Movie Review: Highly Disturbing, But Stunningly Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
I will admit that I prepared myself for the worst going into this film because I knew that as a lover of film, I should see it, but still may not like it. I was wrong. This is a brilliant and corrosively funny movie. It was under the Comedy section in my video store, and while that is not entirely accurate, I don't know where else you would place it. It is a tale of hapless adults in search of, what else, happiness. These people may act like you and me, but behind closed doors, they hold terrible dark secrets, as many of us do, but would never tell. That's what makes this movie frightening; it could be your neighborhood and you don't know it. But writer-director Todd Solondz paints a sympathetic picture of these people, and that may be the element that offends people. However, this film is not done crudely, and Solondz does not really go for shock value; he's merely showing what life really is, and how even though some of these people are seriously disturbed, there's a sick humor in watching their pratfalls. It is indeed hard to explain the comedy in this to someone only familiar with the subject matter, but trust me, it's there. It is also dramatically powerfully and elegantly filmed. Solondz has already made himself a true and original voice in 90s cinema with only two major films under his belt (although "Storytelling" has also just been released). This film stunned me, shocked me, and struck me with its brilliance. Any film that can succeed comedically and dramatically with this type of heavy material is in my opinion, a remarkable film.Movie Review: It's an intriguing movie...
Summary: 5 Stars
I find it interesting that if you make a movie with people getting their heads blown off and their guts spread all over the ground most people don't even bat an eye. But, make a movie about a pederast and people want to form a lynch mob.Yes, horrible things happen in this movie. Guess what? Horrible things happen in real life. I think the whole point of this movie was to show some people trying to be happy, but going about it in all the wrong ways. I think another thing that bothers most people about this movie is that most of the characters are presented (initially) as "normal" people, but we end up seeing them for "horrible, depraved sickos" that they are. The problem lies in the "fact" that depraved sickos aren't allowed to be "normal." We're "normal." Depraved sickos wear hockey masks and do horrible things like in those other movies. They don't hold down jobs and have families, etc.
I'm not sure why I'm even writing this "review" except to say that I think this is a great, challenging movie. The acting is awesome, the plot is interesting, and the problems are real.
I also wanted to comment on another reviewer's statement that the scene with the boy and his father at the end of the film was pointless. I felt that was one of the most crucial, and moving, scenes of the entire film. Here we have a man who does, what we would consider incorrigible things, but he could never consider doing those things to his own son because he loves him so much. I'll be .....! A pedophile with a heart? Nah...
Movie Review: Absolute audacity.
Summary: 5 Stars
Audacity isn't dissing Christina Aguilera on the air. It isn't pushing the gore envelope in a horror film. Audacity is having a father telling his son that he "jacks off instead" of having sex with him.
This film is tremendously revelutionary, with dialogue, direct, unapologetic, poignant and hilarious, that would make Eddie Murphy blush. A masterful job is done of combining gut-busting humor with perversion and tragedy. Brilliant.
It illustrates vast depth in its characters, making a pedaphile a caring father and endearing husband. Fully fleshed people are the heart and soul of this film, forcing us to understand that even a pedarest is a human being, a good father, a man with a tragic itch. I'm fully aware of the corniness of what I've just said, but this film is also one of the most effective comedies that I've ever seen, somehow making us burst out in laughter when a man slaughters a lawn full of happy people with an M-16 in a dream, or explaining to his son that he has indeed molested a number of his friends.
Conversation between characters is scripted without a single reservation, the writers completely without fear of touching verbally and squarely upon pedaphilia, homophobia, and the like, with language unapologically blunt, causing the kind of reaction that the word "vagina" uttered loud and clear would cause among a group of strangers. Buy this film. Buy it now. I've yet to see another one that even begins to rival the genius shamelessness that is Happiness.
Movie Review: Great Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
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.