Libramedi
Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
clinttribble
And I argue it is one of the top five films of the 1990s. Others have said what needs to be said.
rimkig
I liked Happiness in some weird way. This movie is really interesting to watch despite all those disturbing scenes it has. You just cant stop watching until it's done, you wanna see what's gonna happen next. For that alone I give it 9, but because of some nasty things in the movie, gotta lower the grade by 1.8+
framptonhollis
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.
Robyn Nesbitt (nesfilmreviews)
"Happiness" is a film of sheer audacity, intellect, and brilliance yet one that takes the cinema to depths that the mainstream would never attempt. Director Todd Solondz takes the viewer on an extraordinary journey, and it's incredibly profound, amusing, and most certainly unforgettable. He makes punchlines out of misery and pedophilia while eventually arriving at a touching and tragic vision of humanity. It is distressing and utterly hilarious at the same time, and the performances across the board are simply fantastic. "Happiness" is an ensemble piece of five different stories, all of which intersect from time to time. The film concerns the lives of several related New Jersey residents--a sexually frustrated professional (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a pedophile psychologist (Dylan Baker), his blissfully delusional wife (Cynthia Stevenson), their 11-year-old son (Rufus Read) who's concerned with his inability to ejaculate, an unhappy older couple (Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser), and others. Self-centeredness is the chief characteristic of nearly everyone in this film.At two hours and 20 minutes,"Happiness" rambles a bit, but the strength of these characters is undeniable. The film strongly benefits for thoroughly realized characters and relationships along with Solondz's masterful ability to switch the tone from comic to tragic at the drop of a dime. We experience empathy for the kind of people we would ordinarily feel uncomfortable around. Solondz does not judge his characters, he doesn't excuse them, and he doesn't reduce them to wicked villains or victims. He simply sees them, and he invites us to do the same.
