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Happiness
1998 Directed by : Todd Solondz
Happiness follows the inter-conecting stories of three sisters living in New Jersey and the pursuit of happiness and stability.
This is a dark humoured, ironic story dealing with sibling rivalry and very adult themes, some of which might be too upsetting for most.
The film deals with a wide variety of themes, obviously happiness, and what happiness involves in respect to each of the sisters, and begs the question is true happiness really atainable?
There are some graphic scenes of a sexual nature, and there is a story involving paedophilia, which is suggested rather than shown, as well as crimes of passion.
Perhaps the two biggest ironies in the film, are that one of the sisters names is Joy, but she continually has an endless stream of bad luck and misfortune so at odds with her name, and at the end of the film, on contemplation, it appears that happiness is a facade that most of us put on but never really fully realise.
There are some decent performances in the film, Jane Adams as the hapless Joy, the ever watchable Philip Seymour Hoffman and especially Dylan Baker as said paedophile, a role that must have been difficult to portray.
A wry, ironic look at family life that was watchable, don't know if I can totally recommend it, again one of those movies that you have to be in the right frame of mind to watch.
Rating 2.5/5
1998 Directed by : Todd Solondz
Happiness follows the inter-conecting stories of three sisters living in New Jersey and the pursuit of happiness and stability.
This is a dark humoured, ironic story dealing with sibling rivalry and very adult themes, some of which might be too upsetting for most.
The film deals with a wide variety of themes, obviously happiness, and what happiness involves in respect to each of the sisters, and begs the question is true happiness really atainable?
There are some graphic scenes of a sexual nature, and there is a story involving paedophilia, which is suggested rather than shown, as well as crimes of passion.
Perhaps the two biggest ironies in the film, are that one of the sisters names is Joy, but she continually has an endless stream of bad luck and misfortune so at odds with her name, and at the end of the film, on contemplation, it appears that happiness is a facade that most of us put on but never really fully realise.
There are some decent performances in the film, Jane Adams as the hapless Joy, the ever watchable Philip Seymour Hoffman and especially Dylan Baker as said paedophile, a role that must have been difficult to portray.
A wry, ironic look at family life that was watchable, don't know if I can totally recommend it, again one of those movies that you have to be in the right frame of mind to watch.
Rating 2.5/5