Happy Endings (2005)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Best movie ever!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This movie has what 99% of most movies don't have: originality. This is a movie like none we've ever seen. It's clear that Don Roos wanted to make something different, something that would go way over the line. And, he accomplished that. I loved it. Don Roos stepped way over the boundaries of most current movie making. I almost consider him the American version of Pedro Almdóvar. The movie is riveting, cute, original, and most importantly, almost completely unpredictable. The crap that Hollywood has been putting out lately comes nothing close to Happy Endings. Kudos to Roos and his team for putting such an awesome movie and clearly trying to offend at the same time. I love it when a movie tries to offend its audience. This movie did just that and I loved every minute of it. Truth is, most of us cannot be offended and we loved it for that exact reason. We love imaging others watching this movie and by imagining their offense, we enjoy the movie even more. The movie steps over so many boundaries and rules and it's pulled off flawlessly.

Don Roos wrote and directed this lively, sometimes poignant, but not especially funny comedy-drama centering around an abortion counselor's secret that she had given birth to her step-brother's baby when she was a teenager and quickly gave it up for adoption. In this role, Lisa Kudrow really excels with the writer-director's dryly observant style: she's loose but not flailing, inquisitive but not harping, apprehensive but not frightened. Kudrow (whose comic timing reminds one of Roseanne's in the early years of her TV sitcom) mixes a look of anxiety, despair, nervousness and anticipation with astonishing skill--even when her character is humiliated (or humiliates herself), Kudrow has a way of keeping all the flightiness grounded in some form of reality. Matching her, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Arnold have some wonderful early scenes; she's a born user and a killer karaoke singer, while he plays the father of the gay 21-year-old drummer whom Gyllenhaal has already seduced and discarded. It's too bad we don't get more of this relationship, and also unfortunate that Roos covers up most of their dialogue with soundtrack music (it's a coupling which happens in montage). Roos plants little subtitles throughout the movie to help sort out who's-who, and this works to some degree (yet it's a relief when the device is momentarily given a rest). Some of the other story threads are dim (a couple of which center on gay men turning their homosexuality on and off like a light-switch), but Kudrow's work and Tom Arnold's natural, easy-going presence keep the film absorbing and often appealing. And nobody sings "Just the Way You Are" like Gyllenhaal. **1/2 from ****

I almost passed on viewing this one because it has been hard for me to listen to the nasal-voiced Ms. Kudrow for long periods of time, but the excellence of the other actors drew me in–and I am very glad that I decided to view it. The uniform fine acting; the superior script; and the jagged ins and outs of the plot lines along with their satisfactory resolutions made this great viewing. The film presents us with complex characters--many of whom represent types of persons most of us will never meet in real life. Personally, though I disliked many aspects of the personalities of the characters in the film, I watched with fascination as some of these were resolved within the confines of the space of the movie to make the characters memorable and--even remarkable.A fine script, some extraordinary acting, and especially-skilled cutting makes this film one to watch more than once or twice. NB: For adults.

Unexpected, intelligent, engrossing. I haven't been driven to recover my IMDb account to write a review for years, until watching this. A very satisfying comedy, beautifully acted, with Kudrow and Gyllenhaal standing out. The structure, starting in one moment, then moving to the past while giving the audience titles commenting, with reassurances or warnings, surprises and adds to the overall effects of an intricately structured, cleverly constructed story - or rather, stories, that connect slightly and dance around each other. Characters who in other comedies would do certain things don't do those obvious things in this movie; people behave like people, for the most part. What's it about? Lies, secrets, people lying to themselves, people becoming some part of the lies they tell; people telling the truth and almost always landing on their feet. Roos's titles are less explanatory than they first appear; the last one contributes to the overall feeling that yes, this is a story being told, and, like writers, good filmmakers often tell stories about characters over whom they feel little control. Showing that to the viewer makes the film feel alive, the characters more real. The music adds both a lightness and poignancy. A few sour notes sounded - the lesbian couple behaved in a more sit-commy, over-the-top way than I thought believable - but overall, this was a movie I was happy to be swept away by, and look forward to seeing again. Gyllenhaal shines - but they all do - I never imagined liking Tom Arnold in a role, yet he comes across as vulnerable, likable, and kind. Just about all the actors and characters are equally well-served. In the end, it's clear the filmmaker cares for them, faults and all; it's the message he sends with Gyllenhaal's final song. Despite fraught moments, broken relationships, gun-pointing, and big secrets, it's rightly billed as a comedy - human nature is celebrated, flaws and all. Just outstanding.