Review of Happy, Texas (1999) by Jesse O — 26 Nov 2012

I thought this was a good movie with a fun cast, highlighted by Steve Zahn's performance. I think the movie does do a good job at avoiding a lot of ugly gay stereotypes by actually focusing on the characters and their actions.

There is humor based around the fact that they're pretending to be gay, such as Harry dating Chappy, but it doesn't mock the characters for their lifestyle and the movie does look at the characters with a certain sweetness and lightness that makes the movie very easy to watch.

So I applaud the maturity of the script. I think there is a weakness in the story development. There's just something very generic and uninspiring about the story. The writing itself is solid, but the story isn't great.

It just feels like something you've already seen before and I think it's certainly an obstacle that the cast had to overcome and they do an admirable job. It's only a good film, but I think it's a very good one at that, if that makes sense.

It's a very good good movie. It's got its flaws but it is ultimately an enjoyable comedy with some fine performances.