Review of Another Happy Day (2011) by Sean L — 10 Dec 2011

This was a messy film, but I think the fact that it was scattered added to its appeal. Just like the family depicted, the film has a real chaotic structure. Each member of this family is insane and a lot of them are downright despicable people, but there are a handful of excellent characters here and their stories are quite remarkable.

Ellen Barkin -- in what is one of the stand out performances of the year for me -- plays a distraught mother of four who has to endure a weekend of intense family drama. This film is a complete hurricane of emotions; at one point you'll laugh at a witty quip from Elliot and the next you'll be crying after listening to Doris break down.

It ranges from sad to sadder, angry to angrier, and once in a while it'll throw in a funny bit to give us a break from the extreme melodrama. The screenplay is good, but it could be better. It has moments of brilliance, but also has some really corny lines and clichéd moments.

The whole film is an awkward balance between disaster and triumph. It had the potential to be the next "Rachel Getting Married", but it didn't quite get there. I want to love this film so much more, but it's hard because there's too much that doesn't work.

That being said, I still admire this film and will probably watch it many times over. There were many scenes that really touched me and a lot of what happens is quite relatable. The one thing that is really stellar, however, are the performances.

The ensemble cast is sensational, even the minor players like Siobhan Fallon and Diana Scarwid. Ezra Miller and Ellen Burstyn give particularly jarring performances and -- along with Barkin's -- they are the ones that have stuck with me after watching the film.

"Another Happy Day" is a high wire act, teetering but never completely falling. It may stumble once in a while, but it carries on until the very end. Scratched and bruised? Sure, but it got there nonetheless.

(C+).