Cady's Take:

A disturbing investigation into the underbelly of suburban New Jersey, the film tracks a few days in the life of this highly dysfunctional family and the people with whom their lives intersect. The story casts light into the darkest, most paradoxical corner of the human psyche: the arenas of sexuality, love, obsession and perversion.

A panoply of very sick behaviors is paraded before us, including, but not limited to, rape, child abuse, compulsive masturbation, wife beating, dirty phone calls, murder, and castration. This is one very unhappy bunch of folks.

This is Anytown, peopled by homemakers, clerical staff, couples experiencing mid-life crises and innocent little kids. Anyone from your life could be dropped into the cast of Happiness and vice-versa. Solondz was quoted in Newsweek as saying, "If the audience looks at "Happiness" and says they're freaks, I've failed."

This is that type of film you either love or hate. Even in the darkest, sickest moments, there's always some kind of humor. But - this comedy is definitely not slapstick.

“Perhaps happiness is the most unreachable goal of all.”

“Happiness” is a movie not about the emotion itself, but the quest for the emotion. It is about how what should make us happy does not, what should not make us happy can and will, and about how finding happiness is not always synonymous with being “normal.” The characters in this movie are just like you and me, in the sense that they work, live, eat, and sleep but the nature of their desires separate them from “normal” people.

I cannot say enough about the cast of “Happiness”. I am developing a growing fondness for Philip Seymour Hoffman, who epitomizes the character actor. This is an ensemble movie that – unlike “The Anniversary Party” – tries to look at the dark side of life with humor and succeeds. The themes are adult in nature – this is not a family night movie. Allen (Hoffman) has no personal relationships and makes violently sexual phone calls late at night. Bill (Dylan Baker) is a therapist who is struggling against his pedophilia; Kristina (Manheim) is Allen’s strange, overeager neighbor. This movie deals with the neuroses and idiosyncrasies of its characters with honesty and I especially liked the storyline with Bill as he gives in to his desires toward young boys. The movie never shows an explicit scene, but it does show the struggle and the ultimate horror that results from this behavior.

“Happiness” is deeply, deeply disturbing, however there are moments of true laughter and they never seem out of place. Director Todd Solondz manages to strike the balance nicely and does not blur any lines: the moments that are funny are funny because they are true, and moments that are sad are sad, because they are also true. I really liked this movie in spite of the disturbing topics, however I would not recommend it for everyone.