Saturday, October 18, 2014

Happiness (1998) Film Review

One of the biggest complaints about Marvel's impressive line up of films is that you don't see much variation in plot. We are introduced to our hero, they make mistakes that put them in life threatening situations, they learn from their mistakes, then finally pull themselves together just in time to defeat the big bad guy trying to destroy the world. While I can understand how this predictable plot and story beats throughout the film can make the films somewhat boring for some viewers I still find it to be a fun joy ride. Plus Marvel does this structure better than anyone else in the industry. Now that said, it still gets a little disappointing when you notice big Hollywood films follow the same story structure time after time, it feels like when you watch the trailers that you can already tell everything that is going to happen. It's this that make independent movies that are not held down by the constraints of the Studio system so fun, entertaining, interesting, and refreshing to watch. It is nice to see someone's original vision brought to screen without someone telling them to change things for the sake of making money. That's what make Happiness so refreshing to watch, a film that has characters that you would never ever see on the Hollywood big screen and asks its audience to look into a dark part of humanity without sugarcoating it. Its a daring and brave piece of cinema and the most bizarre movie I have seen in a long time.

Happiness is written and directed by Todd Solondz starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, and Jon Lovitz. The film centers around a unique group of individuals ranging from a psychiatrist, to a woman jumping between jobs in her 30s, an author, and many more as they try to find what they really want in life. Unlike most people, these people find happiness in the some of the darkest corners of society like calling up random people on the phone book to tell them they are worthless or being a pedofile. The film explores these characters, how they impact the people around them, why they do the things they do, and the consequences they must face for it.

This is without a doubt one of the bravest films I have ever seen in my life. Not only from the perspective of writing these characters but to then show them without judgement on camera it something very few people would ever do. The film triumphantly lets the characters and their actions speak for themselves and trusts the audience that they will be able to decide for themselves who is right and who is wrong. Not only that but the film has a honest heart at its core, showing us a side of humanity we like to know and then tries to help us understand it. That said this is still not a film for everyone. Some people would be turned off right away by this movie from being disgusted or thinking that it supports some of these characters and their actions. I would argue that this film was made to help us understand each other and understand dark sides within ourselves that we try to bury inside in. In the end we are all trying to find happiness in our lives but fortunately for most of us we have easier means.

What this film is all about though are its characters all who are given great performances from the cast. Jon Lovitz even gives a great monologue and performance in the very limited screen time he has given. While I hated her character, Jane Adams played Joy perfected making me constantly jump back and forth between hating her and feeling sorry for. As expected, Philip Seymour Hoffman brings a lot to Allen by actually making us care about a guy who calls people and tells them "I am gonna fuck your brains out". Though the best and strongest performance throughout the whole film goes to Dylan Baker who completely took me by surprise. Not that I think Baker is a bad actor, but this is such a crucial and challenge role for the film and he completely nails it. Its not everyday that you see someone trying to portray the life and psychological struggle of a pedofile.

Let me get this out of the way and say that I fully believe that this movie is not supporting pedofilia nor should any film support pedofilia. Its a horrible act and one of the worst parts of humanity. That said this movie wants to explore the man behind the act and wants to show us something that no one else will. Baker does an incredible job by showing the struggle at which his character goes through. In the end this man is still a human being, a disturbed individual, but still human. His acts may be unforgivable and evil but we must not think of them as animals. Once again this is a movie about showing its characters without judgement, giving a look into the lives of individuals we never see otherwise and asking us what we think. With some we sympathize like with Allen, I wanted this guy to find happiness so bad it was killing me, and others we hate what he does and try to understand why.

This was my first Todd Solondz film and I was highly impressed. He didn't try to dominate with his camera but rather let his characters carry the film all the way. His framing is great and I enjoyed how his visuals reflected the eternal battle going on inside the characters. This may not be a film for everyone but those that can appreciate this character study and look into some of the darkest places of humanity will surely find this a spectacular watch. If you come in with an open mind and want to watch some original and honest characters then I would tell you Happiness is certainly worth a watch.

4/5

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