Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) Reviews

• Incredible Debut for Josh Radnor

  Kelli762010-01-25

  I caught the premiere of Happy at the Sundance Film Festival. I'm a huge fan of Josh Radnor (best known for his role as Ted Mosby on the CBS series, How I Met Your Mother), but remained a little skeptical going in since this is a first-time film for him. I was pleasantly surprised! This movie is so charming; I couldn't help falling in love with all of the characters. I was especially impressed by Tony Hale's endearing performance as Sam #2, who tries to win the affection of Annie (Malin Akerman), a woman with Alopecia who struggles with the idea of someone being so smitten with her. Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) are absolutely adorable together and have an unbeatable on screen chemistry. They are at a crossroads in their relationship as Charlie tries to sell Mary Catherine on the idea of leaving their home in New York to move to L.A. Sam (Josh Radnor), Mississippi (Kate Mara) and Rasheen (Michael Algieri) round out the cast of characters. Mississippi is a cabaret singer who catches the eye of Sam early in the film and while their hesitation to throw caution to the wind and go for each other is annoying at times, it brings a much-needed realism over romance approach to their relationship. Rasheen was an audience favorite and his role adds a unique piece to this puzzle, playing a foster boy separated from his family on the subway who is rescued and looked after by Sam. It is truly an enjoyable highlight of the film to watch their interactions as they grow from perfect strangers to close friends. An amazing dynamic is brought to the script through their friendship, but not without Rasheen's life before Sam looming in the distance. If this movie is any indication of Josh's talent as a writer, I can't wait to see more of his work. It contains all of the elements of a romantic comedy, yet manages to completely avoid the clichés and predictability that are typically found in this genre. It is clever, heartwarming, hopeful and hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the big hit of Sundance 2010. Congratulations to Josh and everyone behind this film!

• I'm so sad that people will spoil this for other people

  Felonious-Punk2011-02-10

  I watched this without a clue what it was about. But soon after it started, I found myself wondering with bated breath what would happen next, and next, and next, and next. The dialogue was as fresh and colorful as the cast. The direction was steered by a steady hand that knew when to back off and when to tone things down, when to intensify, and how close and to and at what angle the camera should be to the actors. The direction never condescends to its audience as the direction of most romantic comedies do. Nor does this movie smother us with too much wit or too much symbolism. The movie was practically perfect in that it balanced what I think we ask of our comedic dramas: a fresh look at love and humor, believability, and poignancy. It felt so richly human that when it was over I felt that I had watched a new hot play instead of a movie, that's how vivid it was, that's how roughly hewn and real it was. For those who desperately need some kind of plot-frame before seeing it, I'll give you a jumping off point. It starts with a New York late 20s/early 30s struggling novelist who decides to help a lost boy find his way back home.

• 6 New Yorkers in their late 20's/early 30's change and grow.

  radzywadzy2010-02-19

  This is an excellent "slice of life" movie, very easy to relate to and entertaining. It manages to be optimistic without being saccharine sweet. The writer/director, while male, depicts women characters with compassion and understanding. And New York in summer feels like the real thing, in a way that the best Woody Allen films do. Most impressive and enjoyable, though, are the performances. Malin Ackerman has never been better. Tony Hale is a revelation! Josh is excellent (and nothing like Ted Mosby). The little boy, Michael Algieri, is a natural. And Kate Mara -- omg! Not only is she gorgeous, funny and engaging, she's an amazing singer!! Watching her one feels a star being born. The songs by Jaymay -- which are the movie's score -- are perfect. And tech credits (cinematography, editing, production design) are fantastic.

• Incredible clichéd - incredible wanna-be-indie

  andreas-hansen-35-1395962011-04-22

  No, no, no. I'm sorry guys. This film just doesn't deliver. Yes, it got the indie music ("we feel a little sad, but we're kinda ironic about it, so it's kinda OK, even though we don't like things to be like really OK"). Yes, it got the love story - actually three of them which makes it quite surprising that none of them are rather believable (bald girl falls for ugly guy, because he wants to treat her like a princess, even though she only really seems to care about her not having any hair, the boring couple gets a good talk, even though it's obvious they're only together because they don't know what else to do - and our main person, let's call him Mr. Irritating gets the extremely hot girl, because he... Well, never really figured that part out, but I guess the director had to use her pretty face as a good end frame). Yes, it got the "just let things happen"-kinda feeling, but really the only thing people really do in this movie is NOT to let things happen. This is not indie. This is indie-wanna-be. This is "About A Boy" produced with less money and absolutely a horrible, clichéd manuscript, that only struggling actors and actresses will like (hey, it gets you on the poster, right?). I give it three stars because I actually did watch it to the end to see if anything remotely interesting happened and because of the extremely sweet Kate Mara (playing "Mississippi" - a reference with no real meaning for the film at all - don't think you'll learn these characters besides the obvious "I just want to be loved by someone"). But Kate is sweet. Very sweet - and her alone is worth two stars.

• Charming debut for Josh Radnor

  KristenC272010-02-12

  I adored this film, it was one of my favorites at Sundance, and the cast & crew were amazingly sweet people. The film is a trio of intertwined stories involving six New Yorkers dealing with the complexities of love, friendship and identity. While this premise may sound familiar, its charm is refreshing and its character keeps the film from becoming just another romantic comedy. The main story focuses on Sam Wexler, a struggling writer (Radnor ), who, during a particularly bad day when he encounters a young boy (played by the adorable Michael Algieri) who's been separated from his family. When the boy reveals that he is unhappy in foster care, Sam decides to bring the boy back to his apartment, and a unique friendship begins to develop between the two. This friendship both initiates and complicates Sam's romance with a beautiful cabaret singer named Mississippi (Kate Mara). I really recommend this film. I can't wait for it to be released in theaters so my friends and family can see it.