The Ray Bradbury Theater (TV Series) The Happiness Machine (1992) User Reviews

What Is Happiness and How Do We Get It?

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 3 April 2015]

This has a nice message although I could see it coming all the way from right field. Elliott Gould plays an inventor who wakes up one day and decides to build a "happiness machine." He takes all his childhood junk and puts it in a framework. There is a seat in there and a handle that starts the thing. His dreams are seen as crazy by most people. His wife keeps bringing him back to earth. His eccentricities begin to embarrass the family. Only his littlest child is on board with this. But he is so caught up, he can't see the harm. But ultimately there is a last word and it is quite charming. Like many dreamers, he can't see the forest for the trees, accepting complexity where simplicity will manage nicely.

"First off, it's not a contraption!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 8 March 2022]

I couldn't help feeling this story by Bradbury was just a little bit self referential. All the old toys and knick-knacks in Leo Auffman's (Elliott Gould) garage bore a striking resemblance to the 'magic shop' seen in the opening montage of 'Ray Bradbury Theater'. It was kind of easy to see where this story was headed as Leo was obsessed to the point of ignoring his family, while wife Lena (Mimi Kuzyk) kept trying to bring him back into the family fold so he could pay attention to her and their four kids. At times I thought she was being a little too harsh about it, but that only made the resolution that more satisfying when Leo finally got the message that his home was the real happiness machine he was striving to build. The positive message came through rather successfully, without the abrupt kind of ending so many of the Bradbury episodes had.

Glad when it was over

[blake-36398 · 2/10 · 11 June 2021]

Just another boring tale. Then the scenes with Gould working on his happiness machine were so drawn out and tiresome to watch. I find Elliott Gould a very unconvincing actor. To me, he is a cardboard actor. Reading his lines, in monotone, not giving his character any warmth or depth. As far as I'm concerned it might have been a fairly interesting story, if it was not for him and that someone else played the part. The rest of the cast (basically his wife) had more personality and depth then he. Another Bradbury failure.

A magic and make believe machine can cause happiness yet reality is real!

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 18 October 2020]

This "Ray Bradbury Theater" episode 2 from season 6 called "The Happiness Machine" is one that's interesting and a little make believe with a spin on dreaming and the real life and real world come into play. It involves Leo(the legendary Elliott Gould) who as a married family man with four kids awakes one morning and it's like a light bulb has been turned on. An ideal has sprung to go out to his garage and invent a contraption and machine that will bring happiness as it's like a journey of travel and seeing sights and feeling good things! He gets plenty of headache and cold turns from his attractive wife Lena who wants rid of the machine. Finally reality with fate and love set in as all in the family see they are more content with the present and living in the moment as being together with reality is more important than a man made machine of fake happiness! Overall good well done well written episode.