Another Happy Day

"Another Happy Day" is an independent/low budget film from newcomer director Sam Levinson that focuses on a middle aged woman Lynn (Ellen Barkin) and her incredibly troubled family coming together for her eldest son's wedding.

The family ties here are quite complicated; Lynn has three sons and a daughter. Dylan, the groom and her eldest son was mostly raised by ex- husband Paul (Thomas Haden Church) and conniving second wife Patty (Demi Moore), Lynn's daughter with Paul is Alice (introduced halfway in the film by Kate Bosworth), who was raised by Lynn and is suicidal and prone to self harm. The younger sons are chronic drug addict Elliot (Ezra Miller) and an Asperger's sufferer Ben (Daniel Yelsky). It doesn't stop there, Lynn has two unbearable sisters you want to strangle (Diana Scarwid, Siobhan Fallonn Hogan) and her mother (Ellen Burstyn), as proper and respectable as she is, lacks any warmth or support for her daughter.

The film is a depressing and an emotionally draining experience. At times it is almost unbearable especially in Lynn's position as everyone around her is either against her or verbally and mentally attacking her to shreds. Burstyn's character makes a point one night of "Why ME!?" , as she reflects on the deterioration of her husband, but the audience's sympathy should be applied to Lynn, she is continually on the verge of a major breakdown but continues to pay no attention to how bad her state is and tries to soldiers on in this "joyous" family occasion.

Despite the film's miserable tone throughout and the lack of any resolution in the end, the film offers fantastic performances all around. In particular Ellen Barkin as the lead is simply stunning and should be recognized for her work here, her career has somewhat stalled in the last 10 years but hopefully with this performance and her recent Tony win we can see more performances of this caliber in the future. Another standout is the very engaging performance of Ezra Miller who plays the son from hell in another 2011 film this year (We Need to Talk About Kevin), and we shall hopefully see a lot more of him in the future. Ellen Burstyn was her usual wonderful self, her scene in the kitchen late at night with Barkin is incredibly intense and realistic, she take your breath away. Kate Bosworth, Demi Moore (a real bitch in this) and Thomas Haden Church are also at their best. Gloomy film, but wonderful cast, and recommended.

I find it odd that nobody has mentioned how hilariously funny this movie is. I also find it odd how many people claim this is somehow unrealistic for the sheer amount of problems this family has.

Personally this seemed like exactly the family I was raised in. An extended family of, on the surface, squeaky clean socialites and all American families, while my mother was the person who had a history of therapy and being abused, and my siblings and I all had a number of mental health issues, which ended up causing every gathering to feel like us vs them where we seemed to be dismissed as the broken trouble makers who were too uppity and made too many ripples rather than pretend everything was fine and dandy when daddy broke mommy's nose etc.

I loved this movie and was amazed by how real it felt and how funny it was at the same time as being disturbing and full of neurosis.

I loved the dancing at the wedding, that's how I feel at those places. It's so weird to see it all without the music and with all the issues bubbling beneath the surface.

I confess to having seen this film twice, the second time just to see if knowing the ending made any difference to the way the script plays out. It didn't. I was just as embroiled in the detail of a family showing their affection for each other in so many different ways but none of them pleasant. And yet the love was and is there for the whole of the family, it just isn't the kind of fluff or gush that Hollywood is famed for heaping upon its audiences. This is tough love for tough lives, not in the physical sense but in the mental veneers families sometimes play with.

If this were a book you would probably put it down and find a lighter read but as a film it provokes you to look away in the full knowledge you won't because you are already gripped. You just want to know how long it will take before the sparring turns into real bare knuckle fights. The cast perform their tasks wonderfully well, so well that they seem real and that is another reason you cannot turn your head. It is not a film for those who love action or movement in a film because this dwells and draws maximum coverage from each scene. And yet it isn't slow. It is deeply layered and textured with such a diverse range of characters each vying for your affection. And you will love them all for their many faults but mostly for their ability to survive.

If you are not into intelligent drama then you'd best give this a mess, but if you like a really good tour around human beings attempting to live together if only for a day or so, then try it. You may enjoy it as much as I did.

Definitely worth seeing. Watched it tonight, bottle of wine, low expectations, as I hadn't heard of the film at all....full of great acting, good script, believable characters, some fine comedic moments and very touching at times. Mind you, with Ellens Barkin and Burstyn in it, it must have something going for it, don't you think? Both wonderful, and also great to see George Kennedy, too. The young actor playing Elliot is definitely one to watch, too. I can't believe that this film is rated a 5 out of 10, given some of the garbage I've seen lately. Watch this - you wont be disappointed. I hope. Some comments say the characters aren't believable. I beg to differ.

"Another Happy Day" does not operate in the way usual films do. It does not give you a certain point of climax or intensity and a so-called satisfying, complete closure that many people may expect. Well, these are exactly the things not to be expected.

Look forward to a distinctive drama about a family and the relationships in it. Look forward to a unusual film with both happy and sad moments yet not necessarily with even the slightest of predictability and cheerfulness. It is not necessarily sad, but for certain it does not try to cheer you up.

You can call this film many things. Call it hilarious, call it depressing, call it reality, call it family. It has its share of heartbreaking and heartwarming moments, and it is certainly harsh when it comes to show that this may be exactly what reality may be like. Not all problems can be solved in real life like in the movies, and this is a piece that does not present itself as a typical film; it presents itself as a potential reality, and it goes from there.

The emotions are so rich and deep in this film that it is almost impossible to capture them all so vividly and put them forth on the screen for the audience. But thanks to a group of brilliant performances, the impossible becomes possible, and the power of film definitely emanates more from the incredibly stunning and entirely realistic acting than from the plot.

Despite the total ignorance of this film by the Academy, the performances here alone, not taking the storyline into account, form one of the greatest ensembles of the year. Ellen Barkin as Lynn and Ezra Miller as Elliot, Lynn's son, have delivered one of the most solid and promising performances of the year, and are undoubtedly, as most would say, Oscar-worthy. The emotional collapse of Ellen Burstyn as Doris, Lynn's mother, is another performance too powerful to not pay attention to. The only underachieving one here may be Academy Award nominee Thomas Haden Church, who plays Lynn's ex-husband, Paul, and now has a new spouse, Patty (Demi Moore).

There is a lot of love and hate in this film, and however immorally wrong it may be, this reflects reality in many families, especially bigger ones. The countless issues are not going to just vanish, and it is usually easier said than done to overcome these troubles. In Lynn's case it is even more difficult, with everyone in the family seeming to disapprove of her actions and as Lynn refers to, not on her side. During such a visit with so much hospitality, Lynn must resolve into getting over these problems in the wedding of his son Dylan (Michael Nardelli), who has stayed with Paul and Patty since little age.

Another problem arises as Lynn continues to think and have serious doubts whether she is a good mother. Elliot and Ben (Daniel Yelsky) are both raised by Lynn, and they also have "issues". The former has some kind of severe emotional disorder and can burst into an uncontrollable rampage all of a sudden while the latter is also said to have mildly autistic trouble. Alice (Kate Bosworth), another child raised by Lynn, also seems to have issues and has even hurt herself before. It is in this situation that brings Lynn to the edge. She is on the verge of breaking down, under an extremely uncomfortable environment with everyone pointing fingers at her from the outside and her inner sorrow of her failures on her children.

We have Elliot and Ben. Ben appears as a figure lacking confidence and often feels and reacts badly when others discuss his "autistic nature". Elliot is not your ordinary teenager. He takes teenage drugs and smokes cigarettes, but he is more than that. At times, he seems normal and behaves normally, but at other times, he can act incoherently and totally irresponsibly because of his apparent inability to control himself in certain circumstances. While Lynn has her unbearable load of issues to tackle, the two teenagers also have to deal with their hardships during this somewhat unwanted visit to Lynn's mother.

Alice is not presented to us as a main character though she has been the focus of conversations from time to time, and when she comes up, her problem is no longer her own. It is connected to other members in the family, like Lynn herself, and of course her father, Paul. The relationship between her and Paul is one kind of relationship, and the relationship between Lynn and Paul concerning her is another kind, and then it certainly also causes problems between Patty and Lynn. And between Patty and Lynn it does not end there. With Dylan being Lynn's son but being raised by Patty, his tendency towards Lynn for walking him down the aisle inevitably results in Patty's fury.

The relationships in this family are too complex describe in plain words and you will have to see for yourself how complicated it can be.

"Another Happy Day" has depth in its diversity of emotions portrayed by a group of talented actors and actresses, and it is an enjoyable experience. It is a drama about a family in general. It covers life and death, sicknesses, teenage problems, emotional disorders, marriages, love, and of course, family.

All I have to remind you is that "Another Happy Day" may not really guarantee you a "happy" experience. For most of the audience, I would say "depression" should be the word. But I guess if you face it optimistically and bravely, it can still be a satisfying and happy journey somehow.

Either way, it is a film where extraordinarily great performances meet affluently rich sentimental displays and a film that should be appreciated.