Happiness

Todd Solondz's film represents humor at its darkest and funniest. I'm not sure if this is about happiness or a satire of it -- I lean towards the latter. It's an awkward and painfully touching dark comedy. One never quite manages to get their bearings in this film -- it's equally audacious (which is funny in and of itself) and funny, but the humor is offset by the disturbing nature of some of the characters, which is offset by a few truly poignant moments, which is once again offset by the fact that it's funny. The central characters are three sisters -- the sexy and successful writer whose neighbor is shy and obsessed with her, the happy suburban housewife that "has it all" including a pedophiliac psychiatrist husband, and the lonely loser whose life seems to be going nowhere. I wish I could explain it, but this is really the kind of film that must be seen to be understood. As a craftsman, Solondz is only competent, but his unique approach to characters and situations and quirks more than holds the film together, even at well over two-hours in length. It's difficult to know how to react when watching this film, but somehow I suspect that there's an ironic honesty at work here.