Happiness

1998 • 139 minutes

About this movie

From Todd Solondz, director of the acclaimed WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. Meet three sisters in search of happiness amidst their angst. There's Joy (Jane Adams from TV's HUNG) who is on a rebound, Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle), a glamorous writer looking for excitement with a crank caller (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Trish (Cynthia Stevenson from TV's ACCORDING TO JIM), the housewife who appears to have it all but is hiding secrets of her own.

Ratings and reviews

I put it in the class of movies like the human centipede. A part of human psychology is explored, setting bleak circumstances for shell characters. They have no depth. They are just portraying the perceived futility of modern life. Maybe it was a cry for help.

One of my favorite movies, Happiness gets a lot of hate for its portrayal of an aspect of humanity people would rather not acknowledge, the thing is, this is part of the spectrum of human experience. It's appalling, as are most of the characters and situations, but I'm going to argue here that Solondz is making art, not entertainment. It's painful to watch, yet uncomfortably funny in a very repellent way. Absolutely not a movie for everyone, but an excellent film.

One of the greatest films I've ever seen. I can't describe how amazing this movie is. I've never felt more uncomfortable watching any other piece of cinema. Brilliantly dark, insanely funny, horribly discomforting...