Trigger warning: Themes that will be discussed in this review include pedophilia, rape, and incest. Masturbation and sex are also largely discussed and analyzed, so maybe just get the bath ready for when you’re done with this review and you can cleanse yourself of Solondz’s worldview.
In Todd Solondz’s pitch black comedy, Happiness, the lives of three women are examined. Happiness was released on VHS and DVD after its theatrical release in 1998 and, until then, it’s been next to impossible to find as it is not available to stream. But Criterion, in its infinite wisdom, has chosen to give it the 4K UHD treatment so we can witness the depravity in HiDef! It is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The 4K restoration was created from the 35 mm original camera negative. The original 2.0 surround soundtrack was also remastered from the magnetic tracks, so Dolby 2.0 surround and 4K Ultra HD will give you the best visuals and audio for all the ejaculating. I was given a Blu-ray copy, so I got the high-definition SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) treatment. The visuals still hold up quite well, even on Blu-ray the colors and grainy film stock really pop. This film has some great camera work and blocking, Criterion always does a wonderful job working with the artists to bring out the best. It is definitely worth the upgrade.
L-R: Jon Lovitz as Andy Kornbluth and Jane Adams as Joy Jordan in HAPPINESS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The oldest sister, Trish Maplewood, played by Cynthia Stevenson (The Player), is a busy housewife, flaunting her “American Dream” house and success to anyone who will listen. Meanwhile, her husband, Bill (Dylan Baker), has disturbing sexual fantasies about little boys. The middle sister, Helen Jordan (Lara Flynn Boyle), is a beautiful and successful author, but is simultaneously bored and unfulfilled. Her imposter syndrome takes over and, when talking about the superficiality of her own work, one of her lines is “If only I had been raped as a child! Then I would know authenticity!” Obviously said by someone who’s never been raped, but the flippant and incredibly shallow observation is exactly what the film is trying to dig into. Also bear in mind, a young boy is raped (off screen) later in the film, showing just how absurd her comment really is. Possibly the only lighter storyline is that of the youngest sister, Joy Jordan, (Jane Adams), who is naive and bit world-weary. She gets taken advantage of, by men and her sisters, and while most of the characters have some sort of arc, her’s may be the one audiences can stomach.
L-R: Dylan Baker as Bill Maplewood and Rufus Read as Billy Maplewood in HAPPINESS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The pedophile character is definitely asking a lot of the audience. The film was slapped with an NC-17 rating and no matter what was cut, it wasn’t losing that rating, so instead of losing theaters, it was released unrated. Festivals refused to screen it, test audience members swore to make sure it never saw the light of day, and for good reason. Should we be humanizing pedophiles? Baker’s (Dream Scenario) Bill Maplewood is always presented as doing something sick and evil. There is never any question as to how wrong his intentions are, but what audiences may struggle with is the playfulness in how its presented. When Bill sees a young boy on his son’s baseball team, the film presents this as a lightning strike moment, with a zoom on the boy and a sting from the score that would be reserved for any romantic comedy. Bill has conversations with his son about masturbation. His young son hears about it at school and is disappointed and embarrassed that he has never had that experience. While teaching sex education to your children is perfectly fine, maybe encouraging your young son to masturbate and describing the ins and outs of ejaculation won’t go over so well, especially when he later he admits to his son that he masturbates so he won’t rape him. Yikes…
Among the many themes being examined and magnified, there is a micro and a macro approach. The micro might be the scenes focusing on Philip Seymour Hoffman’s (Twister; Boogie Nights) character Allen systematically calling every name in the phone book hoping a women will answer so he can sexually assault them verbally, masturbate, cum onto his bedroom wall, and use his cum as a type of paste to then stick postcards on his wall. Yes, this is a scene from the film. No, it is not the most debauched and uncomfortable scene to sit through. But why so specific? Surely you can show a man who is lonely and sexually frustrated in a different way. That leads us to the macro. It is an unflinching look at the disturbing and degrading behaviors of people devoid of happiness. Solondz himself describes his film as “a series of intertwining love stories, stories of connections missed and made between people, how people always struggle to make a connection, and to what degree they succeed or don’t”. What is the opposite of happiness and what is the cause, what are we doing to ourselves and each other, all in an attempt of finding a deeper connection to the world around us?
L-R: Lara Flynn Boyle as Helen Jordan and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Allen in HAPPINESS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The film peels back the layers of not just the characters’ emotional states, but also their fears, desires, and sexual fantasies, or lack thereof. But it’s not just the sisters, it’s also the people in their orbit. It might be their family members, or who they may have contact with in a given season of life. The intricate spider web of characters and their many quirks and fetishes are what give this film a strange magnetism. It’s like staring at an on-coming train, you know that whatever grotesque thing you’re watching or listening to is terrible, but you just cannot look away. That is the concept of a lot of the characters — repulsive and oddly sympathetic. Solondz is definitely challenging his audience to have compassion for these people. Human people, doing human things. Yes, horrific, but in a context where it’s asking for sympathy. The sisters’ parents are unfulfilled and splitting up, and the father is having sex with other women while explaining that he feels nothing. Allen’s neighbor is drawn to his loneliness and, at the end of forming a type of bond, she admits to him that after being raped by the building’s doorman, she killed him and chopped him into pieces, to which Allen responds, “Well, people have their pluses and minuses.”. That’s funny. There are several funny moments that happen in the wake of some insanely messed up conversations and actions. Maybe the entire film can be summed up by its final scene. Young Billy is out on the balcony of his grandparents’ new apartment. He sees a young women sunbathing and begins to masturbate to completion. We see the ejaculate hit the balcony railing and the dog goes up and licks it. The dog goes inside to Billy’s mother where he gets some good boy pets and kisses (yes, on the mouth), and Billy enters grinning and proudly exclaims “I came!”. Roll credits
Jane Adams as Joy Jordan in HAPPINESS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
After all that, I cannot get this film out of my head. I have watched this film before, in my early days of seeking out controversial films so as to attain more status as a cinephile, but I wasn’t a father, a husband, or divorcee at that point. The loneliness and coldness of the world is definitely something this film zeroes in on and no matter where you fall on the side of barbarically terrible choices, you can identify with having a shitty season of life. When taken as a whole — the laughs, the uncomfortable silence, and the jaw-dropping depravity — this film is a masterwork of tone and humanity, one that would be impossible to duplicate, but must be beheld in 4K UHD.
Happiness Special Features:
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Maryse Alberti, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New conversation between director Todd Solondz and filmmaker Charlotte Wells
- New interview with actor Dylan Baker
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by novelist and screenwriter Bruce Wagner
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD September 24th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Happiness webpage.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
Leave a Reply