ANOTHER HAPPY DAY
(R)
MOVIE: * (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
I really should be more cautious when I watch direct-to-DVD relationship dramas. “Another Happy Day” is one of those minor releases with a fantastic cast that falls down dead with idiocy and awfulness. It tells the story of Lynn (Ellen Barkin) who is coming to the marriage of her eldest and estranged son. She has to deal with a slate of family tensions – from her ex-husband’s new wife (Demi Moore) and her daughter (Kate Bosworth) who has a habit of cutting herself to escape emotional pain.
I’ve always been hypercritical of movies that have a set of characters that are thoroughly unlikable throughout the film. Such is the case with this movie. It’s a trap that writers get into. They want to add humanity to characters to show real struggle and conflict. But to me, there’s a difference in a flawed person who is basically good trying to overcome problems and just an asshole. Everyone in this movie is an asshole. And in the end, I felt like I had just attended a caustic family reunion with these assholes, and I never wanted to go back.
Supposedly, “Another Happy Day” is meant to be a dark comedy, as this fact is pointed out at least twice on the DVD cover box. Unfortunately, demanding it is comedic on the box does not make the actual film so.
The more “Another Happy Day” wore on, the more I hated it. It wasn’t enough to push it into the Top 10 Worst Films of 2011, but it’s down there on the list.
The DVD does not have any bonus content to augment this otherwise dismal film. Unfortunate.
You took the words right out of my mouth. It is a bad one –