Wednesday, October 21, 1998
Sisters, wacky perverts attempt to find meaning behind
happiness
FILM: Complex comedy’s fatalistic pursuit of bliss disturbs,
opens audience
By Lonnie Harris
Daily Bruin Staff
"Happiness" makes people squirm. Throughout the movie, not a
single member of the audience finds himself able to sit still in
his seat. The film touches on every topic imaginable that makes
people uneasy and uncomfortable, including masturbation, rape,
pedophilia, murder, suicide and incest. Oh yes, and it’s a
comedy.
At least, that’s how writer and director Todd Solodnz sees his
film. Before the premiere screening at the Sunset 5 on Thursday,
Solodnz gave a speech permitting audiences to react however they
see fit, even if this reaction includes laughter.
But don’t misunderstand – "Happiness" isn’t exactly "There’s
Something About Mary." It is a complex work that attempts to
unearth what exactly the word "happiness" means for people and the
lengths to which otherwise normal people will go in order to
achieve what they believe is happiness. Any laughter heard in the
theater will be a nervous reaction to the incomprehensible madness
being displayed on the screen.
"Happiness" follows around several lunatic perverts, who just
happen to carry on totally normal lives within society. Most of
these lunatics are in some way related to three sisters: one a poet
(Lara Flynn Boyle), one a housewife (Cynthia Stevenson), and one an
English tutor for refugees (Jane Adams). That’s it for story.
"Happiness" isn’t about what these characters do, it is about these
characters and the way they feel.
Surrounding these sisters is a diverse, wacky group of
characters, each with their own neurosis and, as Danny Elfman would
say, nasty habits. One sister’s neighbor is a compulsive obscene
crank-caller who sits in his apartment all night phoning random
women from the white pages and masturbating before they can hang
up. The husband of another sister is a psychiatrist as well as a
pedophile, who drugs and molests his 11-year-old son’s friends.
Another sister finds out that the man she recently ended a brief
relationship with has killed himself, and his mother places the
blame on her.
All of these short storylines combine to create a film with a
palpable tone. A gloom settles in after the film’s funniest
sequence, the opening, when a frustrated, dumped boyfriend (Jon
Lovitz) derides his until-recently girlfriend in a crowded
restaurant. This sets the mood for the entire film – frustration,
anger and loathing. Once he has set the scene, Solodnz uses these
characters to express his ultimately fatalistic view of the world:
we’re all stuck pursuing happiness, with no idea what the word
means or how we would go about attaining the intangible feeling
that it connotes.
"Happiness" enters theaters unrated; it would surely receive an
NC-17 should the Motion Picture Association of America get its
hands on it, and this is the type of movie that the rating was
designed for. Unlike X-rated fare, "Happiness" is not meant to be
titillating. It is probably the least titillating film ever made.
It is extremely adult, however, and this aspect of the film cannot
be stressed enough. Though the film is brilliantly scripted and
quite worthwhile for the open-minded viewer, it is a very
difficult, unpleasant film to watch.
Few films manage to be half as bold as "Happiness," and it is a
wonder the film was made at all. Most of its funding came after
Solodnz’ "Welcome to the Dollhouse," which earned the director much
acclaim in the independent film community. He is a real talent who
makes his characters very real in a short period of time – almost
too real, for their actions prove very upsetting despite their
fictional nature.
There are times during his film when it is easy to wish that the
director would use his writing abilities to tell a little more
upbeat, or at least hopeful, story, but that is not to be.
"Happiness" is how Todd Solodnz sees the world, and the film is a
brilliant but heartbreaking glimpse into one version of Hell that
happens to be right here on Earth. Photos courtesy of Good Machine
Releasing
Philip Seymour Hoffman, left, and Lara Flynn Boyle in
"Happiness," a new film by Todd Solondz.
Todd Solondz, left, directs Marla Maples, who plays Ann in
"Happiness."
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