Happy Endings (film)

Happy Endings is a 2005 American dramedy film written and directed by Don Roos and starring Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, Bobby Cannavale, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lisa Kudrow and Jason Ritter.

Happy Endings
Promotional poster
Directed byDon Roos
Produced byMichael Paseornek
Holly Wiersma
Written byDon Roos
Starring
CinematographyClark Mathis
Edited byDavid Codron
Distributed byLions Gate Entertainment
Release date
July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,311,633[1]

The expression "happy ending" is a colloquial term for offering sexual release to a client at the end of a massage.

Plot

The film follows a diverse group of mostly middle-class Los Angelenos through the emotional ups and downs in their flawed yet very human lives, each loosely connected to each other through a restaurant.

In the first story, Mamie reluctantly agrees to work with a would-be young filmmaker in order to locate the now grown son she secretly gave up for adoption after becoming pregnant from her stepbrother Charley – who is later revealed to be gay – 19 years earlier.

In the second story arc, her stepbrother, and his domestic partner, Gil, are deciding whether or not to confront their friends, a lesbian couple, regarding the paternity of their son.

And in the third, a young man, Otis, is involved with a band and trying to keep his father, Frank, from learning that he is gay, while also dealing with the seemingly gold-digging woman, Jude, who inserts herself into their lives.

Cast

Production

Director Don Roos wrote the part of Mamie expressly for Lisa Kudrow after directing her in his earlier film, The Opposite of Sex, which he also wrote.[2] Originally, the story concerned three sisters.[3] Maggie Gyllenhaal was not the first choice to play Jude. Gwyneth Paltrow was originally slated to play the part. Gyllenhaal does her own singing in the film. Ray Liotta turned down the role of Frank McKee.

It took 18 months to find financial backing for the production.[4]

Reception

Critical response

Happy Endings received mixed reviews from critics. As of June 2020, the film holds a 55% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 108 reviews with an average rating of 5.93 out of 10.[5] On Metacritic, it score 57 out of 100 from 31 critics.[6]

Roger Ebert noted that "Maggie Gyllenhaal steals the show", and other "characters not so engaging" and "the film's problem is that we don't much like most of the characters, or care about them". But he still gave the film 2.5 out 4 stars.[7] Amber Wilkinson from eyeforfilm.co.uk notes on 22 January 2005 that "short and snappy seem to be words long forgotten by filmmakers" and "the cast is strong and some of the lines - particularly the title cards, which pop up to offer back stories - are fun, but there is a lack of heart to the movie".[8] Dustin Putman from filmfile.com on 16 July 2005 noted "it isn't really adding up to a whole lot" and "the force of the splendid performances take hold and, along with Roos' easeful, non-showy cinematic handle, buoy the film above its more wobbly moments of indifference".[9]

Director Don Roos has been noted for his depiction of sexual fluidity, which features in Happy Endings as well as other Roos films such as The Opposite of Sex.[10]

Accolades

The 2005 Sundance Film Festival opened with this film.[8]

Happy Endings received nominations for:[11]

  • 2006 Independent Spirit Award for "Best Supporting Female" – Maggie Gyllenhaal
  • 2005 Satellite Awards
    • for "Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical" – Tom Arnold
    • for "Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical" – Steve Coogan
    • for "Outstanding Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical"
    • for "Outstanding Screenplay, Original" – Don Roos

See also
  • Hyperlink cinema – the film style of using multiple inter-connected story lines

References
  1. "Happy Endings (2005) - Money". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  2. "InterviewsResults". Archived from the original on 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. "Don Roos returns with "Happy Endings"". nwsource.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  4. Happy Endings DVD commentary, Don Ross
  5. "Happy Endings (2005)". Retrieved 13 June 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  6. "Happy Endings". Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. Ebert, Roger (14 July 2005). "Happy Endings Movie Review & Film Summary (2005)". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. Wilkinson, Amber (22 January 2005). "Happy Endings (2005) Movie Review from Eye for Film". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  9. "Dustin Putman's Review - Happy Endings (2005) - [TheMovieBoy]". www.thefilmfile.com. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  10. "The Family Guy Behind the Dark Comedies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  11. "Awards" on IMDb.com
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