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Happily
BenDavid Grabinski is the director and screenwriter of a bizarre 2021 black comedy called Happily which displays endless style and imagination as a director but his writing skills definitely leave something to be a desired, providing a story you can't walk two feet through without falling in a plothole.
Tom and Janet have been blissfully married for 14 years. They are so happy that their small circle of friends are jealous of them and want to un-invite them for a weekend at an air B&B. The night before they are to leave for the B&B, they are visited by a mysterious stranger who announces to them that are too happy and produces a briefcase with two large syringes stating that he is going to inject them with and make them "normal." Tom and Janet's attempt to escape from the stranger ends with his death and, of course, as soon as they arrive at their weekend getaway, they start seeing the dead stranger everywhere.
And that's just the beginning of this oddball comedy that actually plays more like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. Grabinski sets up the entire story as some sort of nightmare from which we are not allowed to awaken then once we arrive at the B&B, we seem to be moving into a revolving beds sex farce where it's revealed none of the guests at this party are really happy, and when we think it's all about to wrap up in a neat bow, we learn that the mysterious stranger is the owner of the B&B and traps them in the house. Eventually we just decide to wait for an "And then I woke up" scene that will explain everything up to this point, but that never really happens.
The story might make little or no sense, but Grabinski does show enormous skill in how a film should look. The production values are first rate, featuring some inventive camerawork (including expert use of slow motion and the tracking shot), beautiful cinematography, and breathtaking art direction/set direction (the B&B is stunning). Unfortunately, when you look past the detail that went into production, the story just contains too many questions that never get answered, most importantly, who is this mysterious stranger and why is he judging all these people and forcing them to air all of their dirty laundry.
Joel McHale finally gets a chance at leading man status and makes the most of it and Kerry Bische is a charmer as Janet. Natalie Zea is fun as sexpot Karen as is Stephen Root as the mysterious stranger, but this film just left me scratching my head.
BenDavid Grabinski is the director and screenwriter of a bizarre 2021 black comedy called Happily which displays endless style and imagination as a director but his writing skills definitely leave something to be a desired, providing a story you can't walk two feet through without falling in a plothole.
Tom and Janet have been blissfully married for 14 years. They are so happy that their small circle of friends are jealous of them and want to un-invite them for a weekend at an air B&B. The night before they are to leave for the B&B, they are visited by a mysterious stranger who announces to them that are too happy and produces a briefcase with two large syringes stating that he is going to inject them with and make them "normal." Tom and Janet's attempt to escape from the stranger ends with his death and, of course, as soon as they arrive at their weekend getaway, they start seeing the dead stranger everywhere.
And that's just the beginning of this oddball comedy that actually plays more like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. Grabinski sets up the entire story as some sort of nightmare from which we are not allowed to awaken then once we arrive at the B&B, we seem to be moving into a revolving beds sex farce where it's revealed none of the guests at this party are really happy, and when we think it's all about to wrap up in a neat bow, we learn that the mysterious stranger is the owner of the B&B and traps them in the house. Eventually we just decide to wait for an "And then I woke up" scene that will explain everything up to this point, but that never really happens.
The story might make little or no sense, but Grabinski does show enormous skill in how a film should look. The production values are first rate, featuring some inventive camerawork (including expert use of slow motion and the tracking shot), beautiful cinematography, and breathtaking art direction/set direction (the B&B is stunning). Unfortunately, when you look past the detail that went into production, the story just contains too many questions that never get answered, most importantly, who is this mysterious stranger and why is he judging all these people and forcing them to air all of their dirty laundry.
Joel McHale finally gets a chance at leading man status and makes the most of it and Kerry Bische is a charmer as Janet. Natalie Zea is fun as sexpot Karen as is Stephen Root as the mysterious stranger, but this film just left me scratching my head.