Another Happy Day

source: Another Happy Day

"Another Happy Day" is another story about how even the upper middle class well-off are still generally unhappy. It tries to give an honest portrayal of modern family life and in some places it succeeds and in other areas it fails. One of the positives for this film is that debut Sam Levinson seems competent enough and the shots within certain scenes work to deliver the story. The problem itself however is in the writing, which is somewhat sporadic. At moments it is decent and other times it may have you rolling your eyes and there are a few superfluous scenes. One example of the issues with the dialogue is that one scene the eldest son Elliot (Ezra Miller) seems like your average philistine and then the next scene he is giving philosophical insight into himself talking about "the intermittent stages of your life" and the detrimental breakdown of his sister and himself who is "turning into Glen Beck." Why is this young seemingly self-absorbed kid suddenly taking such an interest in politics that he is comparing himself to Glen Beck? The big fault in this movie is that sometimes the characters are speaking to themselves and other times, director-writer Sam Levinson is speaking at us. Perhaps if the director left the writing to a more developed writer who can deliver a well-written story that doesn't involve cheesy cat fights and writing that isn't as sporadic as the eldest son. 4/10

Devastating no holds barred snapshot of American Family Life (as it IS not as we wish it was) may be TOO honest and wickedly insightful for many people (who prefer a little more sugar coating...a little less hysterically funny battery acid wit....oh well LIFE Ain't SWEET...get over it!!). Producer Ellen Barkin leads an absolutely astonishing cast...(and both big names and not so big names are stunning..there is not one phony or soft pedaled second in ANYof these performances). Besides the devastating Barkin (who tackles every emotion like a starving woman with no thought for vanity...every thought for human insight and character clarity)the standouts include Ellen Burstyn as a grandma from hell with Bride Of Frankenstein hair that is the LEAST frightening thing about her character and the stunning young Ezra Miller (who gets more accomplished and electric with every performance. I am actually having a hard time fathoming how this was NOT granted a major wide release...and I simply do not understand the low ratings many "casual" viewers give it... Maybe it is a wee bit too challenging and unflinching? Oh well...stick with your pretty bubblegum fantasy families... THIS is life...and it may not be beautiful...but it burns with a glorious flame in every frame of this lovely film.

It's a terrible movie with no real plot and a family who all hates each other going at each other's throats for 2 hours straight. There are no sympathetic characters. The movie would have been improved considerably if they had all just died in a house fire.

Lynn (Ellen Barkin) is coming back to the family home with his sons Elliot (Ezra Miller) and Ben (Daniel Yelsky) Her eldest son Dylan (Michael Nardelli) is getting married. Her daughter Alice (Kate Bosworth) is also coming. She's a fragile mess. Elliot is a cynical trouble maker who causes havoc. Lynn struggles with her parents (Ellen Burstyn, George Kennedy), her sisters (Siobhan Fallon, Diana Scarwid), her ex-husband (Thomas Haden Church) and his second wife Patty (Demi Moore). This is Sam Levinson's directorial debut and a writer as well. The cast list is very impressive. That may have something to do with the fact that Sam is the son of Barry Levinson. The great actors do some big performances here. Besides the big names, Ezra Miller also gives a good performance. However the whole movie is a chaotic mess of excessive drama with too many characters. More is not always better. The amateur directions never really allow the film to settle down and find a member of this family that we can root for.

I went to see this movie thinking that I was going to be rolling my eyes at the on screen histrionics (and there are LOTS of people screaming and crying in this movie). The critics seem to have been overly harsh with this film. While we have seen movies like this before and while the film doesn't always ring perfectly true, there are so many incredible scenes. Ellen Barkin's portrayal of a woman wounded by people's inability to hear her is heart-wrenching. There are some phenomenal scenes between her and Ellen Burstyn. The film really does dance along the line between comedy and the darker elements of human relationships. At several points, I found myself chuckling along with many people in the movie theater (I just saw this at Village East Cinemas in NYC). The family dynamics feel authentic for the most part. In a way I felt like the film thrives in the moments that feel cast away or in the natural, small moments of tenderness or banter among characters. There are wonderful moments like the two scenes in which Ellen Barkin performs her nighttime regimen as she talks with her husband. Other scenes perfectly captured what the interactions between cousins who don't see each other often are like. The passing comments people make as they move through a crowded house were spot-on. These calm, understated moments enrich the movie and the characters. The scenes that are meant to be dramatic show-stoppers often feel more awkward or heavy-handed. I would say it's worth checking out just for the versatility of the talented cast--young and old. Even Demi Moore has some incredible moments: her wedding toast is a phenomenal bit of awkward comedy.

I am shocked at the number of decent reviews I read on this site. When I saw the cast, and the decent reviews, I decided to watch it. I'm just sorry I wasted 2 hours of my life. There isn't one "real" character in this film. Every role was portrayed as a caricature consisting of overblown and exaggerated behavior. This film is really about a group of narcissists, each more despicable than the other. What a group of disgusting, self-centered excuses for "human beings". "Another Happy Day" made me sick and angry. I only stayed with the film because I was a fan of Ezra Miller after seeing him in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". If you want to see a good film, watch that one.

Another Happy Day isn't the typical comedy film; it is a drama than a comedy, in fact. The screenplay is well-written, as are the character. The directing is really good - the sequence shot in which the camera is following Demi Moore, on the music "Poland" by Oladur Arnalds is gorgeous -, I loved the soundtrack and found the casting to be interesting; the characters are truly believable & relivable. Maybe my love for this film has something to do with the fact that I've got a 'little something' for turning-bad-family-gathering film. Obviously, this film is a controversial one and I can see why. This definitely will not be the cup of tea of everyone but it worth to be seen. Sam Levinson gives us an excellent first dark-humoured effective film.

Okay the question is: what qualifies Barry Levinson's son to be a director? Is it his ridiculous relationship with Ellen Barkin? Or his father's influence? Either way, he has no 'indie' credibility, unless it's being a heroin addict (fact). Talk about a waste of resources. There are so many talented people that need a break and this clown gets one? Okay, granted, he dated my ex, but all the more reason to question the nepotism of this film. A complete joke, and a slap in the face of anyone who is struggling to make a lasting piece of art. Hollywood should be ashamed of itself. His dad was an overpaid joke as well. This film is a joke just like the works of David Schwimmer, Christian Slater, etc. when will talent mean anything in this industry?

First, this movie has 32 "producers" of various stripes ("executive," "line," "associate," etc.) which augurs no good at all. The fact that the leading lady has a producer credit tells you that there will be some kindness in editing her big emotional scenes -- and so it is. The writer is also the director, and that's never a hopeful sign for cutting turgid, overwritten and overplayed drama. The characters as written are so irredeemably hostile and cutting to each other that the viewer needs oxygen. Ellen Barkin's character is so passive aggressive that it's no wonder her children are miserable and f****d up, each exhibiting dangerous mood and behavior aberrations that should have put them in foster care long ago. The scenes bleed on and on, without much discipline. The dialogue is soap-opera, with, no kidding, this line repeated several times: "Can we talk?" I ordered this movie up because I admire some of the actors: Diana Scarwid, Thomas Haden-Church, others. But I don't know why I kept watching it when I was bored and angry at the limitless impositions it made on my attention and suspension of disbelief. Not recommended.