Happiness

This film is an incredibly twisted bunch of despicable characters weaving a web of total dysfunction throughout a disturbing life in the day of.... Lara Flynn Boyle and Philip Seymour Hoffman are the notable actors in this ironic, dark, and thought provoking drama. Happiness is an ironic title given how much each character is suffering. Todd Solondz is the father of bizarre and addresses many taboo subjects in this story of a family chock full of problems. He depicts mental illness with a dark comedic flair that is so Todd Solondzesque... unmatched by any other auteur in the industry. If you have absolutely no sense of the Flannery O'Connor dark humor, you would serve yourself well to pass this by as either you "get it" or you don't. The average American film goer will not get this film and will not laugh at the "funny moments", and believe me as much as it is disturbing there are points where you must laugh, but you sort of hate yourself for it when you do.... Solondz delves into the darkest corners of human ailments in Happiness and it is truly not for the faint of heart. The story weaves in and out of a family comprised of 3 daughters, 2 grandchildren and the grandparents; each rife with issues that plague the secret underbelly of American existence. There is a lot of deadpan humor and the delivery is genius at points and remarkably shocking. This was a courageous film making effort and Solondz is to be applauded. The end of the film is just as crazy as the whole thing. I don't want to reveal any of the story because I would have to sit and type the whole thing because even sharing one scene would make me ludicrously remiss as it is entirely impossible to fathom. If you are seeking to be shocked, and if you want to laugh at the unforgiveable and want to feel that your life is unusually "normal" pick it up and give it a whirl, otherwise, steer very clear if you aren't into irony.

I give it a 7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkQ_JxoWUP8