REVIEW:
Easily one of the more disturbing movies around, this one can be considered a black comedy, despite much of it not being funny. The movie chronicles multiple stories which are all interconnected with each other. That’s a style of movie that has been around for a long time, and that director Robert Altman made his specialty back in the seventies, but unlike most of those movies that make the connections somewhat complicated, here In Happiness, it’s very straight forward This is the story of three sisters and their encounters. And yes, sometimes we follow other characters who are on screen as much as any of the sisters (such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s,) but his character does have a relationship of sorts with one of the sisters, and so that’s really brings him into the fold, connecting him to the others.
This is a movie about extremely messed up people. Whatever real comedy there is here, comes from Joy, a woman who is looked down upon by her friends, family, and everyone around her. Even a man who sleeps with her, and asks her for money, manages to steal a bunch of things from Joy’s apartment first. But the other stories, that are less funny, are also more compelling. These include one of a man (Hoffman,) who calls women up, asks them inappropriate questions, and then pleasures himself. Now that story ends up going to some pretty unexpected places, in terms of two different female neighbors who live in his hallway. One of these women is the sister who seems to have it all (played by Lara Flynn Boyle,) and yet is still unsatisfied, and wanting something more.
And then there’s the final story, about the psychiatrist who is a rapist (played by Dylan Baker.) This is by far the most disturbing story of all. For one thing, we see everything from his point of view, which is pretty horrifying. For another, his victims are all little boys. The movies tells these stories as well as others (Camryn Manheim and what happens between her and her doorman, Pedro.. the parents of the three sisters and their divorce, which happens to be the dullest story of them all.) Most of these stories happen to be pretty interesting. The Dylan Baker story and the Phillip Seymour Hoffman story are the least funny, and the most disturbing, and yet they are by far the most compelling. And that’s what makes this movie. It’s different. It might not be very funny, but it is definitely fascinating. That being said, this is far from a feel good movie. Yes, it holds your attention, and gives you something different, but make no mistake…It is also disturbing as hell.