IMDb RATING
7.3/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
An aging bachelor has to engage his old, laid-off friends to keep a blind girl happy as a masseuse at a non-existent massage parlor.An aging bachelor has to engage his old, laid-off friends to keep a blind girl happy as a masseuse at a non-existent massage parlor.An aging bachelor has to engage his old, laid-off friends to keep a blind girl happy as a masseuse at a non-existent massage parlor.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 5 wins & 4 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Zhang Yimou issued a casting call via the Internet for role of the blind girl. Eventual lead Dong Jie was selected from some 40,000 girls who auditioned for the role.
- Alternate versionsSPOILER: There are two cuts of this film; the original Chinese Theatrical Cut and an International Cut, which is six minutes longer. The International Cut features more content in the early scenes when the two couples come to the Happy Times Hut hoping to have sex. In the Chinese cut, these scenes are more ambiguous as to what the couples have in mind. Additionally, the International Cut has a longer and very different conclusion. In the Chinese cut, after Zhao (Benshan Zhao) writes the letter supposedly from Ying's father, the film cuts to him reading it to her as the credits start to role. In the International Cut, however, after Zhao leaves the restaurant in which he writes the letter, he is hit by a car. In hospital, his friends come to see him, finding the letter to Ying (Jie Dong). Upon returning to her apartment, however, they find it deserted. A tape recording Ying has made and left behind explains that she knew all along the Happy Times Hotel didn't exist, but she didn't mind as they were the happiest days of her life. She then explains that she is going to Shenzhen. After the message is finished, Fu (Biao Fu) plays it again, reading aloud Zhao's letter at the same time. The film then cuts to Ying walking along a crowded city street as the credits role.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Martin Lawrence/Los Lobos (2002)
Featured review
There is no doubt in my mind that Zhang Yimou is one of the world's finest film makers. He manages to straddle the bounds of both art house and commercialism with his catalogue of works that show a beauty and grandeur that often earns the description "painterly", whilst also telling a really good story. Happy Times is something of a departure from works like Raise The Lantern and Shanghai Triad, being a fairly realist comedy.
Happy Times ("Happy Times Hotel" on the print) is about a group of 'retired' (laid off) factory workers who conspire to hoax a young blind girl. Not as callous as it sounds though, as their intentions are relatively good. The main characters are a 50 year old bachelor (Zhao Benshan) and the blind girl herself, played by newcomer Dong Jie. A small crowd of interesting friends and the gargantuan love interest/stepmother of the leads pad out the cast, which mostly plays out in a couple of small locations - two cramped flats, a sprawling abandoned warehouse, and a delapidated bus.
It's very much a character piece, focussing mainly on the relationship that develops between Zhao Benshan and Dong Jie, thrust together under circumstances that neither planned. It's a tender story... a little bit happy, a little bit sad. Bittersweet I guess, but only slightly bitter.
Zhang Yimou forgoes his usual luscious cinematography for quite a naturalistic feel. Apparently he used "hidden cameras" to shoot some of it, but I've no idea what that means (maybe the street scenes?). It's quite a simple piece, a light 95 minutes long, yet still crafted with the dexterity and care that Zhang Yimou always brings to a film. Being a character piece, it is very much dependent on the performances for success - Zhang could coax an oscar winner out of a mannequin, but Dong Jie here is especially good. If I hadn't seen her walking around the theatre unattended, I would certainly have believed she was genuinely blind (this is not an easy thing to act), and her emotional expression is spot on too. You couldn't possibly not care for her character, or that of Zhao Benshan.
The movie might be quite 'slight' in Zhang Yimou's filmography - it's unlikely to win any oscars for him, but it is a nicely made movie that I think everybody can enjoy.
Happy Times ("Happy Times Hotel" on the print) is about a group of 'retired' (laid off) factory workers who conspire to hoax a young blind girl. Not as callous as it sounds though, as their intentions are relatively good. The main characters are a 50 year old bachelor (Zhao Benshan) and the blind girl herself, played by newcomer Dong Jie. A small crowd of interesting friends and the gargantuan love interest/stepmother of the leads pad out the cast, which mostly plays out in a couple of small locations - two cramped flats, a sprawling abandoned warehouse, and a delapidated bus.
It's very much a character piece, focussing mainly on the relationship that develops between Zhao Benshan and Dong Jie, thrust together under circumstances that neither planned. It's a tender story... a little bit happy, a little bit sad. Bittersweet I guess, but only slightly bitter.
Zhang Yimou forgoes his usual luscious cinematography for quite a naturalistic feel. Apparently he used "hidden cameras" to shoot some of it, but I've no idea what that means (maybe the street scenes?). It's quite a simple piece, a light 95 minutes long, yet still crafted with the dexterity and care that Zhang Yimou always brings to a film. Being a character piece, it is very much dependent on the performances for success - Zhang could coax an oscar winner out of a mannequin, but Dong Jie here is especially good. If I hadn't seen her walking around the theatre unattended, I would certainly have believed she was genuinely blind (this is not an easy thing to act), and her emotional expression is spot on too. You couldn't possibly not care for her character, or that of Zhao Benshan.
The movie might be quite 'slight' in Zhang Yimou's filmography - it's unlikely to win any oscars for him, but it is a nicely made movie that I think everybody can enjoy.
- devil.plaything
- Apr 26, 2002
- Permalink
- How long is Happy Times?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Happy Time
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,900,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $240,093
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $31,084
- Jul 28, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $361,000
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content