Relative Happiness

My girlfriend and I just watched "Relative Happiness" here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The local scenery and music provided wonderful eye and ear candy, especially with the colourful autumn foliage.

My girlfriend read the book and found that the movie pretty much followed the same storyline. I hadn't read the book, but read another of Leslie Crewe's books and could see the similarities in the writing style. Easy reading, and easy watching. I very much enjoyed the music used in the movie. I found the acting, and directing to be so so.

All in all I was glad we went to the see the movie. It was not one of my Canadian favourites (like Away From Her was), but that being said, it wasn't a waste of time or money. We both found it to be a nice matinée, but not one that either of us would consider to be a "must see movie".

Very Canadian.... But that's OK.

For me it gets a 7/10

Relative Happiness is a terrible movie and I like rom coms. The writing is not good. There is the kitchen sink of father dying, affairs, all done in superficial glory with a morality overone. This all depended on a charming caste. With exception of the handiman Joss played by Aaron Poole, they were indifferent too awful actors with no cuteness appeal and I have no idea how the female lead was named best actress by Canadians as she is charmless to me. The movie is obvious in plot, not creative in any sense nor are the characters. However too the positive sides if you have good memories of Nova Scotia they have great pictures of the country side. It got a 3 cause i watched the whole thing. I would not say this is a good movie but the photography is good and you like Poole or Joss as little time as he got.

Lexie Ivy (Melissa Bergland) is overweight and owns a B&B in a small Nova Scotia town. Her sister Gabby is getting married and she's desperate for a plus one. Joss (Aaron Poole) is the annoying new workman fixing the house. Adrian Davenport is the hot bike guy looking for a room.

Bergland is adorable and that is enough to make this good. It's a simple standard rom-com and the outcome is as inevitable as it comes. That's not to say that one can't have fun with this or that there aren't any dysfunctional surprises. There is a good amount of darkness mixed with comedy which is very eastern Canada. This is very good although I'd get a better title.

Lexie is the bounciest and most interesting of three Nova Scotian sisters, but also overweight and unlucky in love. Not so much in sex; but usually that happens when she's drunk. Her sisters and mother are strongly supportive of her despite their relatively conformist lives. The interactions between the sisters are loving and real. Also, Lexie worships her father, and no man she encounters lives up to him. So while she runs her own business and is otherwise a happy if mate-less singleton, she continues to dream of the man who will give her all that her father has. At the opening of the film, there is a handyman whom Lexie tolerates, then a dreamboat customer with whom she rapturously falls in lurve. Plot device: she needs a date for her sister's wedding. Yeah, we've seen it before ad nauseum, but the energy and verve Melissa Bergland brings to the role, and the supporting cast's capable acting, keep the film going. There are also some surprise plot turns involving Lexie's family, hence 'relative' happiness. Just the thing for a dark winter's day, or in the Kiwi world, a rainy summer one.

This film has massive of potential and a promising storyline but Lexi just isn't a nice character. She treats Joss terribly the whole way through. Is unforgivably rude snd self centred and it's hard to feel empathy towards her with her treatment of others being so awful.