Happiness (1998)

Ok, I know how I talked about The Woodsman in my last review, but this review may be genuinely upsetting for some. If you are someone who gets upset easily, please stop reading now.

Still reading? Okay, you’ve been warned. Happiness, released in 1998 and directed by Todd Solondz, features an ensemble cast of well known actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker, Ben Gazzara, Jon Lovitz, and Lara Flynn Boyle. It tells the story of multiple people, mainly in one family, and their ways of finding happiness. An elderly couple is separating, but not getting a divorce, simply because the man (Gazzara) wants time alone. The couple has three adult daughters. The youngest daughter, Joy (Jane Adams), is having trouble finding the right man, breaking up with a man named Andy (Lovitz) at the beginning of the film. She also is having problems at her refugee education job, as many of the workers are striking. One of the older daughters, Trish (Cynthia Stevenson) is happily married to Bill (Baker), a psychologist, and has three children. What Trish doesn’t know is that Bill is a pedophile. It starts with little things, but it gets serious when his 11 year old son has a friend over, and that’s only the beginning. The final sister, Helen (Boyle) is an acclaimed author who wants something more in her life, so she starts pursuing an obscene phone caller, Allen (Hoffman). Allen happens to be one of Bill’s clients, and he, like Joy, is also trying to find someone. Even more stories intertwine in the film. This film can be so uncomfortable to watch, especially the scenes with Bill. The disturbing parts that happen aren’t about what the film shows, but what it doesn’t show. You never once see Bill sexually assaulting a child, it fades to black before anything remotely serious happens. The disturbing and uncomfortable scenes don’t stop the film from keeping the viewer interested in the lives of all the characters. All in all, the film is not something you should watch if you’re looking for an uplifting film, and one you absolutely should not watch with the family, I would be ashamed of you if you did. I rate this film: GOOD