"Another Happy Day" is another story about how even the upper middle class well-off are still generally unhappy. It tries to give an honest portrayal of modern family life and in some places it succeeds and in other areas it fails.
One of the positives for this film is that debut Sam Levinson seems competent enough and the shots within certain scenes work to deliver the story. The problem itself however is in the writing, which is somewhat sporadic. At moments it is decent and other times it may have you rolling your eyes and there are a few superfluous scenes. One example of the issues with the dialogue is that one scene the eldest son Elliot (Ezra Miller) seems like your average philistine and then the next scene he is giving philosophical insight into himself talking about "the intermittent stages of your life" and the detrimental breakdown of his sister and himself who is "turning into Glen Beck." Why is this young seemingly self-absorbed kid suddenly taking such an interest in politics that he is comparing himself to Glen Beck?
The big fault in this movie is that sometimes the characters are speaking to themselves and other times, director-writer Sam Levinson is speaking at us. Perhaps if the director left the writing to a more developed writer who can deliver a well-written story that doesn't involve cheesy cat fights and writing that isn't as sporadic as the eldest son. 4/10
One of the positives for this film is that debut Sam Levinson seems competent enough and the shots within certain scenes work to deliver the story. The problem itself however is in the writing, which is somewhat sporadic. At moments it is decent and other times it may have you rolling your eyes and there are a few superfluous scenes. One example of the issues with the dialogue is that one scene the eldest son Elliot (Ezra Miller) seems like your average philistine and then the next scene he is giving philosophical insight into himself talking about "the intermittent stages of your life" and the detrimental breakdown of his sister and himself who is "turning into Glen Beck." Why is this young seemingly self-absorbed kid suddenly taking such an interest in politics that he is comparing himself to Glen Beck?
The big fault in this movie is that sometimes the characters are speaking to themselves and other times, director-writer Sam Levinson is speaking at us. Perhaps if the director left the writing to a more developed writer who can deliver a well-written story that doesn't involve cheesy cat fights and writing that isn't as sporadic as the eldest son. 4/10