Fear Anxiety and Depression

Tod Solondz obviously had seen at least a bunch of Woody Allen comedies before 1989 when "Fear, Anxiety, and Depression" was released. His hapless Ira mirrors any number of inept Allen characters. Even Woody's familiar theme of rejection pervades this film. Chase women and they will run, run from women and they will chase is the basic story being told. The characters, including a successful writer played with gusto by Stanley Tucci, are almost all colorful, and the acting is good. What eventually drags the film down is Solondz coming across as more of a caricature of Woody Allen rather than a unique character that could stand on it's own. - MERK

I am a big fan of both WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE and HAPPINESS, and didn't even know this movie existed until it was shown recently on the "Romance Classics" cable channel, of all places. (The only "star" acknowledged in the channel listing was Stanley Tucci, who does have a small supporting role.) This film tries too hard to be a wacky look at love for a loser (played by Solondz), and I found its wackiness to be both forced and intrusive. While it does contain some of the elements that are used so much more effectively in his later two films, such as an unblinking look at the ugliness in life, and strange songs with lyrics penned by Solondz, this film is not in the same league as either. It doesn't help that intentionally or otherwise, Solondz comes off as a annoying version of Woody Allen. Recommended for Solondz (or Tucci) completists only.

I've only seen this movie twice, and I remember parts of the story, and the way that it was told. Yes, it is a good movie - but not as good as it should be. The script is good, but it needs some work. I think if the film were re-edited, it might change the entire thing, and make the movie more likable on a large scale (or at least as large a scale as his other movies have had). If you are considering this, go watch Welcome to the Dollhouse...then Storytelling or Happiness, or both. Then watch this. If you take this as an introduction to his work, you'll really have no idea how much better it can be.

I presume the schlockiness is intentional. It is very well-executed schlockiness. The archetypes are conventionally but very truthfully drawn: clinging desperate girlfriend, dangerous girlfriend, "best friend's girl" girlfriend, the commercially successful classmate from your old high school, the using "best friend".

The style of the movie is bizarre. The New York pictures are well-chosen for the flavor of the movie. The music often clashes with the action or the visual dynamic in a way that seems deliberate. It doesn't result in the Knowing Guffaw, or the Delighted Titter, but it just seems to lay the scene out stiff, like the way you feel when you're out for dinner with your parents at a place you now know is beneath you and your aspirations (a scenario which recurs at comforting intervals during the picture) -- this is a fine depiction of "spinning your wheels" during your inept and misguided 20s. I don't know a lot about this writer/director and his work (I live in a cinematically-challenged area) but if he meant it the way it came out, he's really reaching me.

There are "musical interludes" so artfully awkward. The "Ay-yi-yi-ra" song is a special treat. The movie is cloyingly awkward, but the result is so off-beat, so "am I really seeing this?" that I couldn't stop watching. I would really like everyone I know to see the "performance artist girlfriend" 'cause I'm amazed at her make-up technique, and her hair-doos.

Too bad the credits for this movie on this site are so sparse.

While everyone seems to be pretending that writer/director Todd Solondz made his debut with "Welcome to the Dollhouse," his first effort was actually this comic look at NYC's underground art scene. (In his defense, Solondz did not have final cut, and he was not pleased with the results, so he has at least some justifiable motivation for trying to re-write history -- this film is not listed in his bio in the "Happiness" press kit, and I suspect many critics don't know it exists.)

So, how is it? Uneven, yes, but possessed of a biting wit (nowhere near as trenchant as it would get in Solondz's later, better films). Solondz also stars in the film, cutting an unusual but nonetheless memorable figure as Ira, an unsuccessful playwright who keeps hoping that Samuel Beckett will reply to his invitation for a collaboration.

"Fear, Anxiety and Depression" isn't for everyone, but if you find the title appealing, its sense of humor may tickle you as well. The Samuel Goldwyn Company (barely) released the film in 89/90, and you can still find it on video. Warning: Solondz's bizarre and funny love song "A Neat Kind of Guy" will get stuck in your head for DECADES.