Happiness – Criterion

Director: Todd Solondz
Screenplay: Todd Solondz
Starring: Jane Adams, Elizabeth Ashley, Dylan Baker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ben Gazzara, Jared Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Louise Lasser and Jon Lovitz
Country: United States
Running Time: 139 min
Year: 1998

When it comes to Happiness, or any Todd Solondz film for that matter, where does one begin? A film plagued with controversy from the get-go, when initial distributor and financiers October Films refused to release the film due to a problematic narrative thread, the Sundance Film Festival flat out refused to screen the film because of said content and because of the NC-17/Unrated rating it’s had in the States since release, it’s been relegated to a pretty poor DVD release. Years down the line, after constant pleading from the film’s fans, Criterion has stood up to the task of giving the film its high-definition debut, as well as its ultra high-definition debut and despite having mixed feelings on the film in the past, I jumped at the opportunity to cover it for the site. How was it, you might be asking? Well…

My relationship with Solondz’s films is an interesting one. Happiness was my first film of his, and to say I was shocked by the content would be a complete understatement. Since then, I’ve checked out a handful of other films from him, such as the excellent Welcome to the Dollhouse (which fellow Blueprint: Review writer David covered here), Weiner-Dog and Dark Horse, both of which I enjoy quite a bit. I think Solondz is an excellent provocateur, in some ways, a great continuation of the era of shock that John Waters brought to the table in the 70s and early 80s. While Happiness has never been my favourite film of Todd’s, there’s no denying that it’s left an impact on myself and most of its viewers. 

Released right after the breakout success of Dollhouse, Happiness is a 140 minute epic, of sorts, which follows a wide cast of bizarre, vulgar and depraved characters. Whether it’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Allen, a man who loves to harass women sexually on the telephone, prank-dialling them with sexual remarks as he pleasures himself in a dingy apartment. Or how about Dylan Baker’s Bill, a psychiatrist whose hobbies include dreaming of murdering innocent people and in real life, sexually abusing innocent children. Lara Flynn Boyle’s Helen, a writer who really wishes she was molested at a young age so she’d have stories to pull from. It’s an absurd, insane and purposely disgusting set of characters that’d turn any sane viewer off, but it’s Solondz’s deadpan direction and screenplay that makes them so… watchable. 

While watching the film with a friend, he uttered the fact that “this feels like it should be illegal to watch” and you know something? He’s not wrong. To say that Happiness pushes boundaries of common decency and taste would be putting it lightly, but the messed up thing is how funny it is. Yes, the film with the characters and the content I described moments ago is a comedy. Let that sink in. If you’re familiar with Todd’s work, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you given how hilariously mean-spirited Welcome to the Dollhouse was, but Happiness takes it to levels that few films ever have, and you feel guilty for laughing along at the heinous acts that these characters commit, the disgusting dialogue that they say and the comically ridiculous nature of everything on display. 

I don’t think I’d be shocked if somebody watched this and said it’s one of the worst films they’ve ever seen, because there’s so much content here that’s specifically designed to put off viewers. Even the title, Happiness feels like something that’s trying to lure in that innocent mum who says “Hey, I know Dylan Baker!” before pressing play and watching one of the most heinous motion pictures out there. It’s true sicko behaviour from Solondz that I can’t help but admire. 

Is the film perfect? I don’t think so, mainly due to how much it’s trying to tackle. The pacing can be pretty rough and while most of the characters on display are fascinating in their own perverse ways, there’s some that feels fairly disposable. Primarily Ben Gazzara’s Lenny and Louise Lasser’s Mona, the parents of some of the film’s many, many characters who are in the midst of a break-up after being together for forty years. While there’s some funny moments with the pair, their section of the film could probably be cut and it would have made for a tighter experience overall. Still, the fact that Solondz followed up a 80 minute coming-of-age comedy with an epic black-comedy that shares the same runtime as 2001: A Space Odyssey is something that I can’t truly hate. 

This film will not be for everyone and even for those into cinema that’s boundary-pushing, Happiness may go too far for them. Trust me, as Blueprint’s resident fan of Cat III shlock, the subject matter in this film was pushing it even for me. But that’s the goal of Happiness. To shock, to provoke and most importantly, to leave a lasting impression and if there’s anything that Happiness does, it’s that. The ending of this film is so vile, disgusting and hilarious that I felt bad for laughing and any sane person should. The thing is, Todd knows that and that’s what makes it work so well. 

Film:

Happiness releases on the 30th September on UHD and Blu-ray, courtesy of the Criterion Collection. I checked out both discs, watching the film in UHD and the extras on Blu-ray. The UHD transfer is remarkably better than the DVD-quality release that we’ve been stuck with for the past two and a half decades, although the UHD didn’t quite wow me like I was expecting from a Criterion release. Don’t get me wrong, it looks great and it’s the best the film has ever looked but it’s one of Criterion’s more puzzling UHD releases in a while. The Blu-ray transfer looks quite great and I can honestly recommend that release over the UHD if you’re trying to save a bit of money. Audio wise, there’s one track, a 2.0 DTS HD MA mix and it sounds solid, no complaints there. English subtitles are included. Overall, a decent A/V presentation. The following extras are included: 

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Maryse Alberti, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

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 screenwriter and novelist Bruce Wagner

New cover based on original poster art by Daniel Clowes

The 40 minute conversation between director Todd Solondz and filmmaker Charlotte Wells is a delight, with the duo feeling like best friends as they go through the process of independent filmmaking, Happiness and more. It’s a meaty conversation and will please fans of the film or either filmmaker. Absolutely worth checking out! 

The new 14 minute interview with actor Dylan Baker is a treat, with Baker recounting his experiences working on the film, some of the direction that director Solondz gave him for portraying his morally reprehensible character and more. It’s one of my favourite interviews on a Criterion disc in a good while.

A trailer is included too.

I wasn’t provided with the essay, unfortunately.

Overall, Criterion’s release of Happiness is mostly great, although it could have used more in the bonus features department, even if the extras are excellent. Picture quality is solid, although it’s not the kind of film that’s screaming for the UHD treatment, so maybe a Blu-ray will please most people. Recommended for fans.

Disc/Packaging:

Where to watch Happiness