Wow. What a beautiful, sad, funny, smart movie. And what a terrible, terrible DVD cover:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.amazon.com%2Fimages%2FP%2FB000BB18L8.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg&hash=1d3a55b28d601ff49222139e8750cc4691139a85)
...looks like "Porky's 4". :doh:
Don Roos has finally achieved his potential after approaching it with "Opposite of Sex" and squandering it with "Bounce". All the modernistic touches, the novelistic devices, the ironic narration... they all worked, and astoundingly well. Lisa Kudrow should only ever act in his movies from now on.
Maggie Gyllenhall essentially played a grown-up version of Christina Ricci's charcter in "Opposite"... both grown-up in the sense that the character is more adult, and that the writer is as well. "Opposite of Sex" was a movie that claimed to be an uncompromisingly dark comedy, but ultimately compromised a little bit, while "Happy Endings" is a movie that has all the trappings of a dark comedy while running headlong into the light. This is a movie that loves its characters, and works to earn your love for them by the end. It was just good. Very good. I was a little surprised to find it didn't already have a thread; I hope that doesn't mean that nobody's watched it.
Actually, I just searched for a thread about this the other day, came up zilch. Then I got distracted by a shiny object and didn't bother.
But yeah, I liked this. It's not *great*, but pretty darned good, and full of stellar performances. Biggest shock: Tom Arnold. That dude can act-- I mean, I've seen how he is in real life. Insane. At first, I was put off by the text-narration, but it definitely won me over by the end. It's hard movie to summarize. I mean, it's about abortion, relationships, using people, and secrets... but it all works. I need to watch 'Opposite' again.
Yeah, I saw this while it was still in theaters. I don't know why I never started a thread on it. I really liked it, too. I agree, Tom Arnold was really a surprise, but he fit the role really well. You know, everyone fit their roles really well in this. It was really good.
Personally, the style draws me out of the film. Fucking choreograph the camera movements, I promise I won't call you a nerd. This whole 'it looks like we just pointed and shot the film' style has gone on long enough.
The script is parallel in its attempt at honesty, but achieves much more of a reaction. The characters do seem boundlessly real, and the biographical data that appears alongside at times might seem like a gimmick, but proves to be effective in rounding out the characters and situations. The performances are clean and controlled across the board. Tom Arnold deserves a special mention for his successful attempt at seriously acting serious.
I would like to see the maturation of Don Roos cinematically, because clearly there is a lot of talent.
B-.
Wonderfully dark, Tom arnold does decent in a serious role but the whole cast does a spectacular job. The title cards did seem a bit awkward at first but I rolled with it and after a while got used to it.