I enjoyed the journey, but I was ready to get to the ending. You can wait to catch this one on video.
Comment
07/15/05
Happy Endings (2005)
56
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:101
Fresh:57
Rotten:44
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Despite strong individual performances, the overlong, disjointed plot of Happy Endings self-indulgently rambles.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $1,172,987
Synopsis: Mamie is being blackmailed. This filmmaker named Nick claims to know Mamie’s son – the one she gave up for adoption – but Nick won’t introduce her to him unless he can film the reunion. Enter... [More]
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom Arnold, Jason Ritter, Laura Dern
Director: Don Roos
Reviews for Happy Endings
The serious stuff cancels out the funny stuff, and the funny stuff really isn't all that funny to begin with.
07/15/05
Happy Endings is the kind of self-conscious puzzle picture in which characters behave in ways that serve the plot but in no way resemble things that actual human beings would be likely to do.
07/15/05
Complicated? Yes. Potentially heavy? Sure. But it's also highly engrossing and, in a dark way, ultimately rather sweet.
07/15/05
Top CriticWhat's so splendid about Happy Endings is the very fact that it fits into no genre whatsoever and at no time while watching it can you say, oh, probably this is going to happen.
07/15/05
Top CriticHappy Endings, its interwoven stories exploring the consequences of sex and the ramifications of procreation, is mildly thought-provoking without using heavy-handed commentary.
07/15/05
Top CriticRoos' sly, throwaway insights into the ways people deceive and undermine themselves are both ruefully funny and painfully on the mark.
07/15/05
An intricate ensemble comedy about sex, lies and reproduction, has some messy spots, but overall it's a warm, quirky story about people who seem spiky and real.
07/15/05
[A] comedic exercise that has its share of contrived moments but comes together as an entertaining, omnibus acting vehicle.
07/15/05
Extremely pleasurable and well worth seeing.
07/15/05
The film is a curious mixture of acid-etched black comedy and sentiment that lacks sufficient dramatic and emotional credibility.
07/15/05
A few nice performances and a script full of novelties with a human feel make it worth seeing.
07/15/05
A warm and vital homage to urban cluelessness.
07/15/05
You get the feeling a script is a bit beyond itself when words constantly appear on the screen explaining biographies, plot twists and such, and Roos depends on a constant parade of such explanations in Happy Endings.
07/15/05
Happy Endings has nothing new to say -- and takes way too long not to say it.
07/15/05
Heartfelt but dark comedy.
07/15/05
Mr. Roos obviously enjoys directing actors and knows how to relate to them. But Happy Endings suggests he needs a stronger touch when it comes to his own self-indulgence as writer and director.
07/15/05
The movie hums along on the strength of its smart, intricate plot and the performances.
07/15/05
As tidily and 'happily' as this movie winds up, it seems like a draft for a project Roos is still working out.
07/15/05
In essence, the film is a darkly comic take on the well-worn saying, you can't always get what you want.
07/15/05
Top CriticLatest News for Happy Endings
November 17, 2005:
Oh It's Already Been Broughten (Part 3)
A fresh press release from Universal informs us that there will soon be a "Bring It On 3" to enjoy, but also reminds us that, hey yeah, there WAS a direct-to-video... More...
March 09, 2005:
The director arranged to have a physical obstacle—a countertop, a couch—between Tom Arnold and his gay son in every scene until they reconcile. 
More...
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