Happiness & Todd Solondz

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  • Happiness & Todd Solondz

    K...just saw Happiness and now I'd like to know what all the big hoopla's about. Is this film supposed to be good because it disturbed me and everyone else who watched it?

    IMO, Todd Solondz is overrated in the writing department. He makes challenging films, yes, but his writing is just lazy. Happiness, Storytelling, and Welcome To The Dollhouse are all very unimpressive.


  • #2
    Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

    Yeah. He's sort of a "stunt filmmaker," in my opinion. Shock for shock's sake. But he can be very sharp on dialogue and he's rarely boring.

    I liked "Happiness." It helps to not think of it so much as a movie, but as very, very, very dark sketch comedy. There's some really funny stuff in it. My favorite:

    "Well... everyone has their pluses and... minuses."
    They cursed us forever, making us prefer dreams to lives.

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    • #3
      Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

      He's more about character and situation than story, that much is true. However, I don't think he's a purely shock filmmaker. Each of his films has the same theme - people trying to connect with other people. They just often happen to do so in ways that polite society doesn't talk about.

      ****SPOILERS****

      Joy (Jane Adams) is the artsy sister who can't maintain a stable relationship. It's true, but do the other sisters have it so much better?

      Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle) is so drawn to the idea of intimacy with someone she invites a crank sex caller over to her apartment. She's tired of superficial relationships with models and wants a deeper connection. Why she thought she'd find it with Hoffman is anyone's guess, but she was still reaching out.

      Trish (Cynthia Stevenson) thinks she has the perfect suburban homelife, yet behind closed doors we know her husband doesn't touch her (and we know why).

      Their parents have their own search for intimacy.

      Allen (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the crank caller, ultimately finds comfort in the arms of a woman who has admittted killing their doorman.

      Dr. Maplewood finds his intimacy. Ick.

      Each of the characters have their own search for intimacy, which I think Solondz correctly refers to as "happiness" in the title, because so many people derive their own happiness through other people. In that regard, it's a beautifully written story - everyone searching for the same thing. Very well themed.

      I like Happiness much better than Welcome to the Dollhouse or Storytelling, but I'm looking forward to his next film if it ever finds distribution.

      And it happens to have two of the funniest scenes I think I've ever seen:

      The opening with John Lovitz and Joy.

      The ending with the dog, the boy, and his mother.
      http://confoundedfilms.com

      http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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      • #4
        Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

        Hairy, his next film, Palindromes, found a distributor and it ran for a few weeks. I saw it here in LA. It was not up to par as his other films, but it was an obvious work of Solondz.


        Happiness was brilliant.

        This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

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        • #5
          Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

          Originally posted by whitenavel
          Hairy, his next film, Palindromes, found a distributor and it ran for a few weeks. I saw it here in LA. It was not up to par as his other films, but it was an obvious work of Solondz.


          Happiness was brilliant.
          Dear Whitenavel:

          We here at Netflix were happy to hear you liked the movie, Happiness. Since you're into films about child molestation, we recommend you check out, "L.I.E." for your viewing pleasure. Now that we know your tastes, we'll be making more recommendations in the weeks to come.

          Netflix

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

            Dear Netflix,

            Thanks for the recommendation. I have seen L.I.E. and didn't like it. Perhaps, before recommending films to customers, you should view them first. Happiness was not about child molestation. One character happened to be a child molester, but the story was not about the act. It was about several characters and their problems with relationships, family and sex. L.I.E., however, was about child molestation. Now where's my copy of Lolita?

            Sincerely,
            the navel.

            This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

              Lolita f-ckin' rocks.
              http://confoundedfilms.com

              http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

                Originally posted by whitenavel
                Dear Netflix,

                Thanks for the recommendation. I have seen L.I.E. and didn't like it. Perhaps, before recommending films to customers, you should view them first. Happiness was not about child molestation. One character happened to be a child molester, but the story was not about the act. It was about several characters and their problems with relationships, family and sex. L.I.E., however, was about child molestation. Now where's my copy of Lolita?

                Sincerely,
                the navel.
                Dear Mr. Navel,

                You are indeed correct about this. However, seeing that you have now requested Lolita, we here at Netflix believe you might have some personal issues that need to be resolved. We are placing your account on hold to do a background check on you. We'll be in touch...

                Sincerely,
                Your friends at Netflix

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

                  After I saw this movie (when it was originally released in the theater) I went home and took a nice long shower...with bleach... and i still felt dirty...will..never..be..clean..again..

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                  • #10
                    Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

                    Todd Solondz's films are how he processes his face.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Happiness & Todd Solondz

                      I hated Happiness, for really petty reasons. I found it slow, lacking in suspense, full of unhappy characters I didn't care about, dull, and washed-out looking.

                      Shame on me for being so unevolved, especially considering the masterly job Solondz did of dissecting isolation and despair, my two favorite things to watch.

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