Happy Endings (2005)

Director:

Don Roos

Writer (WGA):

Don Roos (written by)

Release Date:

5 August 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

All's well that ends swell.

Plot:

Happy Endings weaves multiple stories to create a witty look at love, family and the sheer unpredictablity of life itself.

Plot Keywords:

Adoption | Filmmaker | Restaurant | Gay | Massage

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Lisa Kudrow	...	Mamie
Steve Coogan	...	Charley
Jesse Bradford	...	Nicky
Bobby Cannavale	...	Javier
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Jude
Jason Ritter	...	Otis
Tom Arnold	...	Frank
David Sutcliffe	...	Gil
Sarah Clarke	...	Diane
Laura Dern	...	Pam
Hallee Hirsh	...	Mamie at 17
Eric Jungmann	...	Charley at 16 / Tom
Kim Morgan Greene	...	Connie Peppitone
Rayne Marcus	...	Annette
Caker Folley	...	Lauren

Also Known As:

Finais felices (Spain: Galician title) (TV title) [gl]
Finals feliços (Spain: Catalan title) (TV title) [ca]
Happy Endings (Italy) (DVD title) [it]
Un final feliz (Spain) (DVD title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Brazil:14 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

Maggie Gyllenhaal does her own singing in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the sunglasses in Jude's hands switches between shots as she's laying by the pool talking to Frank McKee.

Quotes:

Narrator: When you're a gay man, you have to feel good about yourself when a urologist says, 'Yeah. I pick you.'

Movie Connections:

References "Friends" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Venus in Denim

A sly and seductive film about happiness

I enjoyed Happy Endings more than any other film I've seen this year. I admit I had a difficult time following the convoluted plot and that the side title narration did not really help, but I found the film to be most rewarding. I am a big fan of The Opposite of Sex so I was anxious to see the results of what this writer/director would do with this same kind of material. I was not disappointed. In a way, Happy Endings reminded me of Sideways but was far more compelling. The performances were extraordinary especially Maggie Gylenhall and Tom Arnold who gives the performance of his life. The fact that he did not get nominated for an Oscar is staggering. This film is NOT FOR EVERYBODY but for those who appreciate intelligent and subtle film making