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Happiness - DVD
Writer: Todd SolondzDirector: Todd Solondz Producer: Ted Hope & Christine Vachon Studio: Trimark Features:Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Cast & Crew Information VIDEO Widescreen 1.85:1, ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround, SUBTITLES English, Spanish, French Characters: Jane Adams - Joy Jordan Jon Lovitz - Andy Kornbluth Philip Seymour Hofman - Allen Dylan Baker - Bill Maplewood Lara Flynn Boyle - Helen Jordan Justin Elvin - Timmy Maplewood Cynthia Stevenson - Trish Maplewood Review: Happiness is possibly one of the strangest movies you will ever see. It's part drama, part black comedy and part horrific morality tale, and the most frightening thing about it is that it works on every level. The story essentially revolves around three sisters, Joy Jordan (Jane Adams), Helen Jordan (Lara Flynn Boyle) and Trish Maplewood (Cynthia Stevenson). Each sub-story in the film revolves around one of the sisters, whether it's Helen's heavy-breathing phone-caller (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Joy's run-in with a Russian thief (Jared Harris), or Trish's child-molesting husband (Dylan Baker). Even with these characters representing somewhat of a centre for the film, Todd Solondz isn't afraid to wander off and examine the people in their lives a litle closer. For example, the girls' parents are separating (but NOT divorcing!), and Solondz wisely decides to show some of the effects a separation can have on an older couple. He also has an incredibly piece of biting humour when the girls' father, Lenny (Ben Gazzara) visits the doctor's office. I've watched the film with a few people, and they've all missed the fact that he's unhappy and wants to die. When he sees the golfer die on the golf course he doesn't fear that fate, he craves it. When all is said and done, through all the strangeness, the oddly perverted yet poignant conversations and the flying semen (yes, you read that right), Happiness is about one thing: Happiness. It's a film about several characters trying to find Happiness in their lives, their relationships and themselves. The film dares to ask the question, "is anyone happy?" and then answers it with a definite maybe. Happiness is a film well worth renting to anybody who wants to see a genuinely good film unlike any other they've seen. I wouldn't recommend buying it until you've seen it though, because quite frankly it isn't for everyone's tastes. I personally loved it, but I can just imagine the reactions from some of the more ... conservative ... people I know. The DVD itself is OK, but not great. The picture quality is good, and the audio is presented in 2.0 channel Pro-Logic (the same as the original theatrical showings). Extras are pretty much non-existant, consisting of a trailer for the film and some quick bios of the principal actors. DVD is currently the best way to experience Happiness, but it would've been nice to at least have an audio commentary from Todd Solondz. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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