Review of Another Happy Day

First, this movie has 32 "producers" of various stripes ("executive," "line," "associate," etc.) which augurs no good at all. The fact that the leading lady has a producer credit tells you that there will be some kindness in editing her big emotional scenes -- and so it is. The writer is also the director, and that's never a hopeful sign for cutting turgid, overwritten and overplayed drama. The characters as written are so irredeemably hostile and cutting to each other that the viewer needs oxygen. Ellen Barkin's character is so passive aggressive that it's no wonder her children are miserable and f****d up, each exhibiting dangerous mood and behavior aberrations that should have put them in foster care long ago. The scenes bleed on and on, without much discipline. The dialogue is soap-opera, with, no kidding, this line repeated several times: "Can we talk?" I ordered this movie up because I admire some of the actors: Diana Scarwid, Thomas Haden-Church, others. But I don't know why I kept watching it when I was bored and angry at the limitless impositions it made on my attention and suspension of disbelief. Not recommended.