[Pictures]
Warnings
Firstly if you are easily shocked, or do not like American Art House Cinema, then I stress Do not go and see this film. There are bits in it which even grossed me out.
This is billed as a comedy but it is not a a belly laugh type of film. Also if you think Phil Seymour Hoffman is "cute", then do not see this film. He's brilliant, fat, ugly and vile in this role, but definitely not cute.
If you are looking for a film which is about, or even allows for happiness in its protagonists, then this is also not the film for you. As "the daytrippers" was "Huis Clos" in a Station Wagon, "Happiness" is Hannah and her twisted sisters, in New Jersey.
The film loosely follows the lives of the three Jordan sisters living in New Jersey. Joy is a nice kind unfocused failure, Trish a smug suburban mother, married to Bill a closet paedophile, and Helen the outwardly beautiful, but inwardly self obsessed and narcissistic poet.
Basically Joy breaks off her relationship with a sad desperate loser of a workmate, in a restaurant. A great opening scene in which the gentle manner in which the relationship is broken off is brilliantly turned on its head, by the rejected boyfriend. Upset by the fact that this guy later kills himself, Joy quits her job and starts teaching immigrants. She meets a Russian spiv who takes advantage of her.
Her sister the poet is bothered by the sucess of her "superficial" soul searching poetry, and her success with money, work, and sex life. She wonders when someone will like her for herself, not just because she is beautiful and successful. This leads to a semi flirtation with the obscene phone pest played by PSH.
Her sister Trish has an outwardly happy life with a successful psychiatristhusband Bill. Yet there are dark secrets here too. She has no sex life and her husband drugs her and the rest of the family in order to molest the friend of his son.
Dylan Baker is really excellent as the father of the family. His scenes with his son are upsetting, shocking, thought provoking and yet there is a really wierd sense of his pain too. (Please don't take me to task on this, paedophilia is a vile, evil and unforgiveable crime and this character is a really sick bastard Ok ).
Phil's role is that of the boring lonely neighbour of Helen, who nurses a sick obscene facination for her. This sickness takes the form of obscene phonecalls down the Jordans of the phone directory. Helen responds initially but then when he reveals himself to her, is cruelly rejected.
He in turn is bothered by his neighbour who has killed? the night porter of their flats. Their relationship based on rejected loneliness are some of the films most poignant sections.
I also really liked Ben Gazzara as the father of the family. He has a relationship with a lively go-getting woman outside of his loveless marriage. When told not to feel guilty he says he doesn't feel anything. And the look on his face really hurts, when he is told by his wife, that this vibrant woman has had a stroke.
I would really recommend this film but its NOT for everyone.
Parting Comment, You will never kiss your dog, after this film ever again, and thats a good thing too.
-- Minnie
Minnie's Philip Seymour Hoffman Page
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