Happiness (1998)

The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz

Stars:

Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Henry	...	Kooki the Dog
Gerry Becker	...	Psychiatrist
Rufus Read	...	Billy Maplewood
Louise Lasser	...	Mona Jordan
Ben Gazzara	...	Lenny Jordan
Camryn Manheim	...	Kristina
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Detective Berman (as Arthur Nascarella)

Storyline

A woman breaks up with her boyfriend, he thinks it's because he's fat. A man is unable to tell her next door neighbor he finds her sexually attractive. An old couple wants to split up, but they don't want to get a divorce. A therapist masturbates to teen magazines. An 11 year old kid is insecure about the fact that he hasn't cum yet. Office workers try to recall the face of a coworker who recently died. A woman is sure she has everything she could ever want. The lives of these individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | suburb | social satire | satire | episodic structure | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The level of wine in each person's glass changes between shots during the final scene.

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Quotes

Helen Jordan: [picks up phone] Hello?
Allen: I know who you are and you are nothing. You think you are fucking something, but you are fucking nothing. You are empty. You are a zero. You are a black hole, and I'm gonna fuck you so bad you'll be coming out of your ears.
[slams down phone, pants for air]

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Connections

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

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Soundtracks

You Light Up My Life
Performed by Mantovani
Written by Joseph Brooks (as Joe Brooks)
Courtesy of Pair Records
By special arrangement with Passport International

User Reviews

A brilliant movie, but not for everyone.

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, but I would hesitate to recommend it to people whom I don't know pretty well. It explores aspects of life and living (and suffering) that most films avoid or actively deny. And it does so brilliantly. The characters are vividly real, and there is such a strong sense of situations unfolding in real time that it's truly mesmerising. I felt like a fly on the wall, eavesdropping on conversations I could never hear otherwise. I think many people would absolutely hate this movie, partly because it doesn't pass judgement on behaviours that are repulsive to the bulk of humanity, and partly because it exposes us to them at all.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Todd Solondz's Untitled

Filming Locations:

Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$130,303, 18 October 1998

Gross USA:

$2,982,011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,982,011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1