Happiness (1998)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz (writer)

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Three middle-class New Jersey sisters all have their problems with their families and sex lives.

Plot Keywords:

Sister | Marriage | New Jersey | Parent | Restaurant

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Jane Adams	...	Joy Jordan
Jon Lovitz	...	Andy Kornbluth
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Allen
Dylan Baker	...	Bill Maplewood
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Helen Jordan
Justin Elvin	...	Timmy Maplewood
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Trish Maplewood
Lila Glantzman-Leib	...	Chloe Maplewood
Gerry Becker	...	Psychiatrist
Rufus Read	...	Billy Maplewood
Louise Lasser	...	Mona Jordan
Ben Gazzara	...	Lenny Jordan
Camryn Manheim	...	Kristina
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Detective Berman
Molly Shannon	...	Nancy
Ann Harada	...	Kay
Douglas McGrath	...	Tom
Dr. Eric Marcus	...	Courteous Waiter
Eytan Mirsky	...	Angry Picketer
Lisa Louise Langford	...	Radical Picketer
Anne Bobby	...	Rhonda
Socorro Santiago	...	Crying Teacher
Allison Furman	...	Consoling Teacher
Wai Ching Ho	...	Student #1
Bina Sharif	...	Student #2
Tsepo Mokone	...	Student #3
Jared Harris	...	Vlad
Dan Moran	...	Joe Grasso
Evan Silverberg	...	Johnny Grasso
Marla Maples	...	Ann Chambeau
Hope Pomerance	...	Hysterical Woman
Matt Malloy	...	Doctor
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Diane Freed
Dan Tedlie	...	Don
Marina Gaizidorskia	...	Zhenia
Johann Carlo	...	Betty Grasso
Joe Lisi	...	Police Detective
José Rabelo	...	Pedro
Diane Tyler	...	Janet
Olga Stepanova	...	Zhenia's Mother

Directed by
Todd Solondz

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Todd Solondz		writer

Produced by
Ted Hope	....	producer
Pamela Koffler	....	line producer
David Linde	....	executive producer
James Schamus	....	executive producer
Christine Vachon	....	producer

Original Music by
Robbie Kondor

Cinematography by
Maryse Alberti

Film Editing by
Alan Oxman

Casting by
Ann Goulder

Production Design by
Thérèse DePrez

Art Direction by
John Bruce

Set Decoration by
Nick Evans

Costume Design by
Kathryn Nixon

Makeup Department
Cyndi Boyar	....	additional hair stylist: Florida
Cyndi Boyar	....	additional makeup artist: Florida
Nicki Ledermann	....	key makeup artist
Kerrie R. Plant	....	additional hair stylist
Kerrie R. Plant	....	additional makeup artist
Gianna Sparacino	....	hair designer

Production Management
Ross Katz	....	post-production supervisor
Elayne Keratsis	....	unit production manager: Florida unit
Eva Kolodner	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lucia Burns	....	second second assistant director
Cindy Craig	....	second assistant director
Jude Gorjanc	....	first assistant director
John G. Karliss	....	second second assistant director: Florida
Alan Oxman	....	second unit director

Art Department
Joshua Barraud	....	additional props
Catherine Bayley	....	art intern
Nicole Boesch	....	art intern
Brian Buteau	....	lead set dresser
Margaret Pine Chabowski	....	assistant art department coordinator
Andromache Chalfant	....	assistant set decorator
Robert de Mar	....	carpenter
Matt Duncan	....	assistant property master
Makiko Endo	....	art intern
Hector M. Gonzalez	....	property master: Florida (as Héctor M. González)
Anton Graham	....	set dresser
Denise J. Grillo	....	additional set dresser
Caroline Handel	....	graphic artist
Michael N. Horan	....	additional set dresser
Zachary Jasie	....	additional set dresser
Chad Johnson	....	carpenter
Sara Kugelmass	....	assistant set decorator
Joseph Logan	....	additional set dresser
Melissa P. Lohman	....	additional set dresser
Sam McConnell	....	art intern
Stuart Montgomery	....	property master
Mike Morrison	....	graphic artist
Jutta Osthues	....	additional props
Allison Shigo	....	art intern
John M. Souto	....	assistant art director
Richard Tedesco	....	assistant property master
Aaron Ali Tichenor	....	additional set dresser
Cory A. Vincent	....	assistant props: Florida
Miyuki Yoshihara	....	art intern

Sound Department
Michael Barry	....	sound re-recording mixer
Laurel Bridges	....	boom operator
Neil Danziger	....	production sound mixer
Tom Efinger	....	supervising sound editor
Curt Finale Hines	....	additional boom operator (as Curt Hines)
Jonah Lawrence	....	sound designer
Nicholas Montgomery	....	foley artist
Betsy Nagler	....	additional boom operator
Jaime Reyes	....	additional boom operator
Tony V. Stevens	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Eric Toline	....	additional boom operator
Eric Toline	....	boom operator: Florida
Damian Volpe	....	sound designer
Jessica Wing	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Drew Jiritano	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Alger	....	best boy electric: Florida unit
Joe Arcidiacono	....	camera crane operator
Dayvon Baldwin	....	fourth grip
Mia Barker	....	additional assistant camera
Gus Bechini	....	additional electrician
Matt Blades	....	additional grip
Bart Blaise	....	additional assistant camera
Eric Boncher	....	additional electrician
Shaw Hawkins Burrows	....	key grip: Florida unit
Gregory Cahill	....	best boy grip
Elizabeth Casinelli	....	additional electrician (as Libby Casinelli)
Joel Catalano	....	grip: Florida unit
Nicolas L. Charuet	....	additional grip
Christina Conroy	....	additional electrician
Nicole Corre	....	additional electrician
Moira Demos	....	additional electrician
John Dodgin	....	additional electrician
Tom Downey	....	additional assistant camera
Jacques H. Durand	....	additional grip
Johnny Erbes-Chan	....	additional grip
Matthew W. Flannery	....	second assistant camera
Joe Foley	....	key grip
Raphael Frank	....	best boy electric (as Raphie Frank)
Daryl Furr	....	third grip
Henny Garunkel	....	still photographer
David Dylan Gorn	....	additional grip
Raphaelle Gosse-Gardet	....	additional electrician
Christopher B. Green	....	first assistant camera
David Harges	....	additional grip
Nate Havens	....	camera production assistant
Nicole Hernandez	....	additional electrician
Curt A. Jentsch	....	third electrician
David Kaufmann	....	additional grip
Alex Kayne	....	electrician: Florida unit
Caroline Kazlas	....	camera intern
Stephen Kazmierski	....	additional photographer
Wolfgang Koslow	....	additional electrician
Jonathan Kovel	....	additional grip
Tony Krouse	....	electrician: Florida unit
Seth F. McAllister	....	additional electrician
Guy Morgan	....	additional grip
Michael D. North	....	grip: Florida unit
Alexa D. O'Brien	....	fourth electric
Larry Orvieto	....	additional grip
Toshiaki Ozawa	....	gaffer
Marcelo Panizza	....	additional second assistant camera: Florida
Storn Peterson	....	director of photography: second unit
Kate Phelan	....	additional electrician
Lance E. Phox	....	additional electrician
Steve Ramsey	....	additional electrician
Edward Read	....	additional grip
Danya Reich	....	additional assistant camera
Antonio Rossi	....	first assistant camera
August M. Smarra	....	electrician: Florida unit
Adam Snyder	....	additional grip
Melissa Soltis	....	additional assistant camera
Atsushi Takaoka	....	additional electrician
John Tanzer	....	additional electrician
James Thorne	....	additional electrician
John Unger	....	best boy grip: Florida
Jonathan Weaver	....	first assistant camera
Robert E. White	....	second assistant camera: Florida unit
Angela Whitesell	....	additional electrician

Casting Department
Byron Crystal	....	extras casting
Deborah Maxwell Dion	....	casting: children, Los Angeles
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting
Rebecca L. Murray	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Natalya V. Aikens	....	assistant costume designer (as Natalya V. Khorover)
Kristy Aitken-Hernandez	....	wardrobe supervisor: Florida
Pamela Kezal	....	wardrobe supervisor
Lynn True	....	wardrobe assistant
Oliver Wolf Wehner	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Sean Campbell	....	second assistant editor
Charlene Hamer	....	first assistant editor
Youna Kwak	....	apprentice editor
Noëlle Penraat	....	negative cutter
David Pultz	....	color timer
Shelby Siegel	....	assistant conforming editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Sam Burtis	....	musician: trombone
Dominic Cortese	....	musician: accordion
David Diggs	....	musician: english horn/oboe
Frank Egan	....	assistant music editor
Michael Fumento	....	musician: drums, "Happiness"
Erin Futterman	....	assistant to music supervisor
Victoria Gross	....	music recording engineer
Susan Jacobs	....	music supervisor
Robbie Kondor	....	score producer/musician: keyboards and pennywhistle
Matthew 'Boomer' La Monica	....	music mixing engineer
Richard Locker	....	musician: cello
Robert J. Magnuson	....	musician: english horn/oboe
Bob Montero	....	music production coordinator
Michael Nordberg	....	musician: bass, "Happiness"
Sean O'Neal	....	musician: keyboards, "Happiness"
Sandra Park	....	musician: violin
Mary Rowell	....	musician: violin
Larry Saltzman	....	musician: guitar and tiple, "Happiness"
Ira Siegel	....	musician: guitar
Pamela Sklar	....	musician: flute
David Spinozza	....	musician: guitar
Roger Squitero	....	musician: percussion
Jamey Staub	....	music mixer: "Happiness"
Blake Suib	....	music Recordist: "Happiness"
Danny Wilensky	....	musician: sax & flute
Sharon Yamada	....	musician: violin

Transportation Department
Henry S. Avelin	....	transportation captain
Thomas Colavito	....	driver
Thomas Crehan	....	driver
Roy Fortier	....	driver
Gus Hein	....	driver: special equipment
Steven Menasian	....	driver

Other crew
Ethan Adelman	....	cartoonist
Marco Ajello	....	additional production assistant
Monique Alderman	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Fabio M. Arber	....	location manager: Florida unit
Anna Beckman	....	cartoonist
Anna Beckman	....	office intern
Nadia Benamara	....	accounting intern
David Best	....	parking production assistant
Susan H. Bodine	....	legal services
Richard R. Boudreau	....	office intern
Mark Boulos	....	office intern
Shannon Bowen	....	location scout
René Brar	....	office intern
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Stephen Carr	....	location assistant
Lee Chabowski	....	Helen's poetry
Cory Chew	....	completion bond
Myfa Cirinna	....	payroll services
Jeremiah Clancy	....	production assistant
Alexander Cohen	....	additional location assistant
Chris Collins	....	additional location assistant
Lisa Collomb	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Chloe Conroy	....	location coordinator
Ryan Cooke	....	additional production assistant
Barbara Cordoves	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Justin Crabill	....	remote technician
Michael Dallas	....	location scout
Debora Degnan	....	additional production assistant
Ged Dickersin	....	location scout
Kate Eales	....	assistant film conformist
Elliot Earle	....	craft service: Florida unit
Kent Ehrhardt	....	weather report
Kimberly N. Fajen	....	production office coordinator
Andrew Federman	....	location assistant
Ramsey Fong	....	key office production assistant
Lyle Gamm	....	graphics coordinator
Nicholas Gansner	....	additional production assistant
Alessandro Garuzzo	....	office intern
Kelsey J. Geisler	....	production assistant
Esther Gould	....	office intern
Justine Halliday	....	assistant film conformist
Benjamin Harris	....	cartoonist
Dean Haspiel	....	cartoonist
Gretchen Hatz	....	production assistant
Marcee Healy	....	production assistant
Matthew Herrick	....	cartoonist
Anne-Marie Hess	....	office intern
Jeff Hill	....	unit publicist
Joyce Hsieh	....	production accountant
Jason Tavis Jeffries	....	office intern
Brian Johnson	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Jon M. Johnson	....	parking coordinator
William Johnson	....	parking production assistant
George Jones	....	parking production assistant
Amanda Katz	....	office intern
Charlie Kleinman	....	office intern
Elizabeth Klenk	....	location scout
Timothy M. Koenig	....	security officer
Zhenia Kozlov	....	consultant: Russia
Tina Kronis	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Brent Lagerman	....	additional production assistant
Ben Lauter	....	product placement coordinator
Gary Leib	....	cartoonist
John Limotte	....	legal services
Brenda M. Long	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Jeremy 'Bruiser' Mack	....	additional production assistant
Jonathan McGrath	....	additional production assistant
Alan McIntyre Smith	....	craft service (as Alan Smith)
Michael Meere	....	assistant production accountant
Nathaniel Mendelsohn	....	office intern
Jonathan Michals	....	office intern
Jennifer Miller	....	office intern
Ross Miller	....	production insurance
Christie Mullen	....	location scout
Rebecca L. Murray	....	assistant: Todd Solondz
Vonda G. Nelson	....	additional production assistant
Hetakaisa Paarte	....	assistant: Ted Hope
Julie Panebianco	....	conduit to "Happiness"
Derek Pastures	....	parking production assistant
Patricia Claire Pertalion	....	additional production assistant
Jessica Piscitelli	....	key set production assistant (as Jessica Anne Piscitelli)
Perri Pivovar	....	assistant film conformist
David Powers	....	additional production mixer
Lynn H. Powers	....	location scout
Jimmy Price	....	assistant location manager
Phillip Ristaino	....	cartoonist
Jose Rodriguez	....	office intern
Daniel S. Rogers	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Scott Rosenstein	....	additional production assistant
Niles Roth	....	office intern
Jim Ryan	....	cartoonist
Jason E. Sandys	....	office intern
Paula Schmidt	....	completion bond
Nancy Schwartzman	....	assistant: Christine Vachon
Betsy Shankin	....	location scout
Jessica Sharzer	....	office intern
Emily Samantha Sherman	....	production office coordinator: Florida unit
Nazgol Shifteh	....	office intern
Dan Shotz	....	office intern
Shelby Siegal	....	assistant film conformist
Margo S. Silver	....	office intern
Marion Spiegelman	....	completion bond
Brian J. Stapleton	....	office intern
Tim Streeto	....	post-production picture services
Michael Taylor	....	script supervisor
Mimi Turner	....	location scout
Al Valentine	....	location manager: additional photography
John Verni	....	set production assistant: additional photography
Jonathan Waks	....	cartoonist
Nicole Walker	....	office intern
Leah Weintraub	....	location scout: Florida unit
Shelly Westerman	....	film conformist
Thomas J. Whelan	....	location manager
Fred Widland	....	assistant production office coordinator
Adrienne M. Williams	....	production assistant: Florida unit
Jim Williams	....	parking production assistant
Robert Wilson	....	additional production assistant
Shawn Wilson	....	post-production accountant
Maurier Winston	....	parking production assistant
Kurt Woolner	....	completion bond
Nakako Yamamoto	....	dog handler
Jung-Min Yoon	....	additional production assistant
Ronald T. Zizmor	....	production assistant
Matthew L. Weiss	....	additional production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Jake Myers	....	thanks
David W. Schoner Jr.	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Good Machine
• Killer Films

Distributors

• Good Machine (1998) (USA) (theatrical)
• New Films International (1998) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alameda Films (1999) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (1999) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Behaviour Entertainment (1998) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Budapest Film (1999) (Hungary) (theatrical)
• Cine Qua Non Films (2000) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (1999) (Finland) (theatrical)
• EDKO Film (1999) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• ID Distribution (1999) (France) (theatrical)
• Líder Films (1999) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Alpha Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lume Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2000) (Finland) (video)
• Taki Corporation (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Trimark Pictures (video)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services

Also Known As:

Todd Solondz's Untitled (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rating surrendered; previously rated NC-17.

Runtime:

134 min | USA:141 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Alberta/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:R21 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM18 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating: 1999) | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 1999)

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Todd Solondz]as the doorman in Allen, Helen, and Kristina's building.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A crewmember's head is reflected in the window of the car when Bill is sitting in it after buying a magazine.

Quotes:

Bill: Have you tried playing with yourself?
Billy Maplewood: You mean...?
Bill: With your penis?
Billy Maplewood: A little.
Bill: How did it feel?
Billy Maplewood: I don't know? I don't know what to do.
Bill: Do you want me to, uh... show you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: SexTV: Uncovered (#7.30)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

You Light Up My Life

One of the year's best films--but be prepared for some very disturbing material. **** (out of four)

HAPPINESS / (1998) **** (out of four)

Todd Solondz, writer and director of "Happiness," describes his perplexing film as "a series of intertwining love stories, stories of connections missed and made between people, how people always struggle to make a connection, and to what degree they succeed or don't." It's about relationships, obsessions, and stunning discoveries both private and social. It contains some very graphic material-enough that the filmmakers released it without an MPAA rating. Even as the film exploits extreme adult themes and graphic content, it does not glamorize or stylize its subjects. Rather, it uses them to paint a disturbing picture of the dark side of human nature.

The film connects with the audience because these characters feel real-they are ordinary people with serious problems. It takes place in a homely suburbia environment in which Solondz draws us in, and eventually pushes us far away with enough provocative content to stand next to "A Clockwork Orange." The movie does, however, know what to show on screen and what not to. It's smart, and indecisive, not dirty and gratuitous. The film defines the character's relationships very well. "Happiness" doesn't explore random, unrelated characters. Their separate lives do, however, connect, and the movie does a great job revealing those connections.

"Happiness" follows a complicated story woven through the lives of many characters. Joy Jordan (Jane Adams), a middle-aged telephone sales person living by herself in New Jersey, longs for a decent relationship after recently breaking up with her boyfriend (Jon Lovitz). Her parents, Mona (Louise Lasser), and Lenny (Ben Gazzara), are pending a divorce through their catalyst neighbor (Elizabeth Ashley). Joy has two sisters: Trish (Cynthia Stevenson), and Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle). Helen brags about how many men lust for her, while Trish is a chripy homemaker married to a therapist named Bill (Dylan Baker). Bill appears to be a typical husband and father, but he is really a homosexual pedofile who masturbates over teen idol magazines and molests the friends of his preteen son, Billy (Rufus Reed). Bill, however, has done a good job at hiding his disturbing feelings from his friends and family.

Billy confronts his father about his developing sexuality, while Bill is also riddled with sex discussions as one of his patients, Allen (Philip Seymour Hoffman) obsessively raves about having sex with Helen. They meet one day when Allen makes one of his usual obscene phone calls, and Helen enjoys his heavy breathing and wants to make love with Allen. A large woman (Camryn Manheim) who lives in the same apartment complex as Allen often knocks at his door. She likes Allen, but he is too busy shuffling through porno magazines and making explicit phone calls to random women to notice those feelings.

In the production notes, producer Ted Hope describes Todd Solondz's vision as "comedic tragedy. Todd knows how to maintain that fine balance between heartbreak and humor. You're often unsure whether to laugh or cry." The dialogue, always riveting and thought-provoking, sometimes shocking with its irony and explicitness, often perplexes us; we are not quite sure how to respond to such phrases.

Take a scene where Bill exchanges a conversation with the coach of his son's baseball team –we're not sure whether to laugh or weep-we feel a little humor and sadness mixed. The coach is concerned of his own son's sexual status-he is afraid his kid is homosexual. Here's what their conversation involves:

Coach: What do you think would happen if I got him a professional... you know... Bill: A professional? Coach: Hooker. You know, the kind that can teach things... first-timers, you know... break him in. Bill: But Joe, he's 11. Coach: You're right, you're right. It's too late.

Ironic how I screened Neil Lebute's sexually provocative "Your Friends & Neighbors," just days after this astonishing production. Both movies honestly examine deep human despair in disturbing, frank detail. I remember the dialogue in both films. A specific scene in "Happiness" where Billy asks his father some very difficult questions about molestation. His father answers his son honestly, no matter how difficult the questions got.

I compare that scene to the scene in "Your Friend's & Neighbors" where three men relax in a steam room, and the character played by Jason Patrick verbally remembers his best sexual experience. These sequences require numerous viewing. They stare into the deep, dark crevices of the heart, and we can only watch in bafflement at the thought-provoking power these movies have and how they challenge our perspectives. "Happiness" is one of the better films of the year.