THIS WAS HARD TO WRITE AND STILL READS AS TOO FANCY LANGUAGE-Y
“Welcome To Happiness” is a movie about sad people becoming happy. As such, its title is impressively accurate. I felt real dumb when I realized that, because it took me three or four tries to nail down a synopsis. I could’ve just used the title instead.
Someone on Hubski commented that “Welcome to Happiness” reminded them of Wes Anderson movies. It's easy to see why; the whimsical style, magic realism, and like-ours-but-not alternate reality are Anderson canon hallmarks. “Welcome to Happiness” relies strongly on these traits for its success as well. However, it doesn't feel derivative. There were a few scenes later in “Happiness” that were very Anderson-esque on a visual level. I found the similarities undeniable, but it was only a few scenes.
As an impossible story with roots in almost-reality, “Welcome to Happiness” pulls it off. Yes, I admit that if you actually try to nail down the plot, or wedge its characters into “real life,” you will end with grumbles. When the main plot device of your movie is a little magic door in an apartment closet which goes somewhere - else, viewer belief requires total suspension. It is simply bad form to swallow a little magic interior closet-door but choke on the concept that the main character answers his door when strangers knock. Or possesses a dot matrix printer full of questions. Or has never wondered where his magic closet door goes.
“Welcome to Happiness” keeps a pretty steady clip going until its last 20 minutes. Three concurrent storylines unfold and interlock during the movie.Each scene is both vivid and impactful. All this surface-level action kept me as a viewer engaged from moment-to-moment, so I stayed more interested in the movie than my usual. The rapid pace was a smart directorial decision. Since a lot happens rather quickly, the audience’s attention stays in each scene. To metaphor: drop a man in a lazy river and he can swim out any second. Put him in a quick one, though, and let the current keep him. (The man's your audience. the river's your movie. You don't want your audience to be able to leave your movie freely. You want them to stay in it.)
Sometimes the script is not great. It can be a little awkward, like “this character just needed to say yes here so dialogue,” from time to time. I noticed this more in the first half. The movie seemed to gain in confidence as it progressed. That being said, there’s almost a solid useless 20 minutes at the end full of music, dancing, and heavy-handed visual tie-ins between character resolution and mystic apartment wall mural, not to mention a borderline-trite, 90% visual (again) wrap-up which promises that all our characters do have happy endings and end up dating each other, because if you didn’t package your plot in a box tied with a ribbon cascade, no one would know when your movie is over. Did you know?
All in all, “Welcome to Happiness” was an uplifting feel-good pseudo-intellectual indie baby which will make you feel better about life. I enjoyed it. In many ways it is exactly what I want out of a movie — entertainment, leisure, an escape, a brighter reality. If you want, it’s easy to argue with “Welcome To Happiness”’s “deeper message.” But a movie that plays at philosophy is just a movie, which means we should hold it to the same standards as shit like “Neighbors 2,” not "The Book of Virtues." Will "Welcome to Happiness" entertain you and give your day a more positive bent? You betcha. Is it more interesting than anything in theaters right now? Well golly yup. Will it make you think you're thinking, but not really? You betcha, by golly, wow. So quit being lazy and watch it. Besides, Hubski 'bros, man. Gotta rep.
As requested.
There is really nothing in your review that I vehemently disagree with. I think it's actually pretty on point. One thing I would highlight is that there are some solid performances in here. Kyle Gallner is great but to me the show was stolen by several others -Brendan Sexton and Keegan Michael Key are fantastic but the duo of Frances Conroy and Robert Pike Daniel was something to behold. If there is such a thing as best indie duo scene, they'd be winning it. Fantastic chemistry and energy together. That first scene with them and Sexton is a moment. It's a film moment IMO. -it's artistry. There are flaws, no doubt, but scenes like that one compensate for the gratuitous hand clapping. Then again, the world could use more gratuitous hand clapping.
I largely agree with all of this. The movie dances between light and dark, and doesn't take itself too seriously. I think a good example of this is when Woody is at his lowest, and reading his 'new book' to his agent. It's dark, but in a ridiculous way. IMO that's the interesting part about Welcome to Happiness. People are addressing some seriously dark stuff, but at the same time, they've got these happenings and situations that are almost making fun of their state of misery. To me, that's why Brendan Sexton's performance was so good. He's clearly both tormented and baffled and his arc is about regaining control over his demons. The same goes for Keegan, there's little doubt that he is in the business of helping these folk, but he also fucks with them a little bit. There are some demons mixed in on the wall in Woody's apartment, which suggests that it's not all good that is at work. Same goes for the devils in the desert. Happiness and good are related, but it's not that simple, it has something to do with your response and point of view. My biggest critique would be that the gathering at the end looked very Portland. I am sure this had to do with the available pool of extras. However, from a in-film perspective, either that's a function of the location of Woody's closet, or whatever healing process is at work has a diversity problem. I also feel like the phrase "Everything happens for a reason" is such a cliché, that it might have been better to go with a different phrasing. Of course, using a cliché might have been the point, but if so, IMO it doesn't succeed in that way at that moment. I picked up on something I missed in the first viewing: When Ripley and his brother are talking at the pool, you hear a lawnmower in the distance. I thought that was odd. Later when Nyles is talking about his past, he mentions that his partner worked at a landscaping company.
Am I crazy or is the baseball card a photo of Nick Offerman? Also, I'd love to know how much that baseball card is valued at.
Sexton is my #1 favorite character. I discussed this in an earlier draft but I was having problems being moderately comprehensible, to the point, and both non-spoiler-y plus inclusive. I love Nyles. It did strike me that Woody's "crisis" was, on a macro scale, almost laughably precipitated by small events/losses. Lost that in draft too. I drew parallels between the wall-demons and the "publisher" and the other woman who reappeared in Happiness all in black. Those were symbols, to be sure, attempting to tempt or lure Woody back to "reality" and away from happiness. So I felt there was a parallel there between temptation/wrongful influence, and those demons. The most troublesome interpretation of the movie's "deeper meaning" is that major depressive episodes can be resolved with a little bit of talking and the decision not to change anything in your life - just chat for long enough and you will realize that there is enough there already to be thankful for. I can easily see how people would argue that is problematic. There is also the counter angle which is that the message of the movie directs one not to take risks, but to be content with the known path they already travel. So those were ways I thought the message could be interpreted in a "wanting" sort of way.
Made it to the theater. I should have linked to this. There are more details in that thread. thenewgreen _refugee_ The three word sentence you guys all replied to was written when I checked Hubski in between falling back asleep, something I don't need to get in the habit of. Apologies, everyone. ref - good review :)
wait, is this YOUR movie? To be clear, I liked it and recommend it, and it was basically what I like out of a movie. But like, most movies are honestly pretty shitty, so even a good movie usually still has some noticeable flaws. this is my experience in reviewing horror anyway. I almost exclusively review horror also so...this was out of my comfort zone