Strongly positioned to be the most controversial film of the year, the fall release of "Happiness" should polarize moviegoers into distinctly opposite camps. Some will find absolutely nothing redeeming or interesting in this story about pedophilia, masturbation and similar unsavory topics, while others will find it a compelling -- albeit disturbing -- expose about perversion lurking about underneath everyday normalcy.
Most critics will probably fall somewhere in between, torn between the strong performances and intriguing premise, while trying to stomach the more distasteful and disturbing elements occurring throughout the film. This reviewer is no exception as this is the sort of film that's extremely difficult to review.
Something of a meeting of nearly any typical Woody Allen film dealing with adult loneliness and the recent, sexually charged and often controversial material found in the works of relative newcomer Neil LaBute (such as "In The Company of Men" and "Your Friends and Neighbors"), Todd Solondz's "Happiness" will inspire anything but what the title suggests.
That's not to say that it's a bad film in an artistic sense, but that its shocking and often revolting material will leave most every viewer with more of disturbed grimace rather than a placated grin on their face once the theater lights come up.
Following his critically lauded sophomore feature, "Welcome to the Dollhouse," writer/director Solondz has seemingly allowed his material to mature and progress in a natural fashion from that earlier effort. While "Dollhouse" dealt with the horrors of being an outcast in the throes of puberty, this one deals with thirty-something angst, loneliness, and perversion. Don't be surprised to see his next two films cover middle-aged crises and life as a senior citizen respectively.
While most everyone who sees this film will leave with what is decidedly a bad taste in their mouths -- so bad, in fact, that Universal opted not to release the film under its own banner -- the more time and distance spent away from the film and you begin to realize just how powerful it really is.
Despite what some may say about the film, instead of glorifying or alternately denouncing the perversions of seemingly normal people, Solondz takes something more of an objective look at such surprising, revealing and decidedly disturbing vices.
Emitting something approaching the feel of a documentary (sans any narration) and focusing on a diverse group of people and their stories related via family or occupational ties, the film isn't so much disturbing in showing that these sorts of things may be going on in one's neighborhood. Instead, it's that such apparently innocuous people may be the ones carrying out such secret and often perverted lives.
The most intriguing character -- who will also draw the most fire and praise from the film's detractors and admirers -- is that of Bill, the "Ward Cleaver" type of dad who's a seemingly loving husband, is good with the kids, and apparently a decent man overall. It doesn't take Solondz long to shatter that myth, however, as we soon see Bill's terrorist-like fantasy and then him pleasuring himself via a teen magazine.
Not surprisingly, things quickly do downhill from there, eventually leading to a morbidly droll pedophiliac "hunt" to the final, and extremely uncomfortable and confrontational father/son discussion regarding the old man's sickness that's as hard, but simultaneously compelling to watch as a bad car wreck.
Despite not wanting to see what will happen and what will be said, you can't help yourself for wanting and, more importantly, needing to watch. Quite simply, all of that stems from the horrific notion that such people could be living on your block or sitting next to you in the movie theater, and you'd never know.
Inhabiting that character is actor Dylan Baker ("Disclosure," "Radioland Murders") who has the unenviable task of playing that perpetually "walking on eggshells" role. Yet where many might have gone too far in playing him as a monster, and others could have "ruined" the role by taking a more subtle approach, Baker hits the mark just right.
Not quite as disturbing, but still rather perverted is Phillip Seymour Hoffman ("Twister," "Last Stop, Wonderland") as the lonely computer nerd who loses his anonymous sexual aggression once the object of his obscene phone calls turns the tables on him. With the appropriate nervous ticks, sweatiness, and overall geeky demeanor, Hoffman is completely believable and perfect for the role.
As are Jane Adams ("Kansas City," "Father of the Bride Part II") and Cynthia Stevenson ("Air Bud: Golden Receiver," "Home For the Holidays") as the polar opposite sisterly characters. Supporting performances are also good from many in the cast, but some, like Lara Flynn Boyle ("Afterglow," TV's "The Practice") simply aren't given much with which to work. Part of that lies in the fact that there are just too many characters.
While the quantity of those characters constantly keeps things interesting, the sheer number of them and their individual and marginally connected subplots partially diffuse their individual stories since only a certain amount of time can't be spent on each. Since, a complete exposé on each character would have added too much time to the already lengthy film, such characters and their stories can only serve to complement the central stories -- ones you won't soon forget.
To diffuse the thematically disturbing material, Solondz has tried to interject some laughs, but some of his efforts at humor -- most of which are extremely dry and not overly plentiful -- may just offend as much as the straight drama.
Even so, and despite the film's attempts at eliciting laughs via sophomoric humor (notably the semen shots), little of it's of the knee-slapping, eye-tearing variety. Although most of it bears similarities to this past summer's "There's Something About Mary," it doesn't have that "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" locker room feel to guiltily promote those big belly laughs.
The film, however, won't be remembered for such "lighter" moments. As equally compelling as it is disturbing, the film and its initially subtle performances, that soon unravel into depravity and outrageousness, will stick with you long after seeing them. While certainly not perfect and definitely not for all audiences, the film only further strengthens Solondz's place among the new crop of influential filmmakers working today. We give "Happiness" a 6.5 out of 10.