In "Happiness", director Todd Solondz manages to craft a true masterpiece that will definitely make some people a bit too uncomfortable to really like or enjoy. "Happiness" is certainly not for the easily offended or disturbed, since it deals with some very mature and unsettling subject matter such as perversion, rape, pedophilia, murder, depression, etc. "Happiness" also surprises us by making the whole thing a comedy. A really, really dark comedy-but still a comedy.
The dialogue is absolutely magnificent. As I said, this is a truly dark comedy, so there's plenty of really, really messed up and disgusting lines of dialogue throughout this film that made me howl with laughter, and some are even hidden in really depressing sequences. Solondz's film manages to be an emotional roller coaster, filled with sequences that are simultaneously funny and cold, and it all somehow manages to work.
Performances are also pretty great. Each of the actors really becomes their character and reflect the deep sadness in this film. As one can easily tell, most of the characters in this film are severely lacking in any happiness whatsoever (making the title really ironic), and this film is their journey to find true happiness-and a lot of them, sadly, don't.
The film is really spectacular in every sense of the word. From the cynical, twisted sense of humor, to the more emotionally touching scenes-"Happiness" is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, no matter how sick, vile, or disturbing it really is.
The dialogue is absolutely magnificent. As I said, this is a truly dark comedy, so there's plenty of really, really messed up and disgusting lines of dialogue throughout this film that made me howl with laughter, and some are even hidden in really depressing sequences. Solondz's film manages to be an emotional roller coaster, filled with sequences that are simultaneously funny and cold, and it all somehow manages to work.
Performances are also pretty great. Each of the actors really becomes their character and reflect the deep sadness in this film. As one can easily tell, most of the characters in this film are severely lacking in any happiness whatsoever (making the title really ironic), and this film is their journey to find true happiness-and a lot of them, sadly, don't.
The film is really spectacular in every sense of the word. From the cynical, twisted sense of humor, to the more emotionally touching scenes-"Happiness" is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, no matter how sick, vile, or disturbing it really is.