60
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasSince premiering on the festival circuit in 2002, this small masterpiece has been one of the best films around not to secure a proper theatrical release, and while one week on a single L.A. screen at the height of the crowded holiday season may not exactly qualify as proper, it's nevertheless a joyous happening.
- 80VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasIsn't for everyone. It seems certain to confound as many viewers as it will inspire. But pic will foster a core critical contingent that will find itself transfixed and, ultimately, deeply moved by the film's ravishing power.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThis is a droll, laid-back film noir steeped in Crescent City atmosphere and music that culminates in the colliding worlds of genuine and virtual reality.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterBeautifully acted and filmed, with the Internet imagery rendered in Pixelvision.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceWhen Amelia takes the full multimedia plunge in the movie's final moments, Happy becomes something inexplicably (and metaphysically) beautiful.
- 63TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxThe soundtrack includes great songs by Andre Williams and Shirley Ellis, and music by local R'n'B legend Ernie K-Doe and electronic organ freakazoid Quintron, who both appear in the film.
- 50The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisLike some other contemporary films that try to stitch together a small army of characters into a community of sorts, Happy Here and Now feels like a symptom in search of a cure.
- 40Film ThreatTim MerrillFilm ThreatTim MerrillRarely interesting, always confounding.
- 38New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanA few relevant themes do bubble up from this visually intriguing swamp of self-indulgence, but Arquette's pseudo-philosopher seems to speak for Almereyda when he says, "If there was a point, there wouldn't be a story."
- 25New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoAlmereyda's muddled Happy Here and Now should have stayed on the shelf - where it's been gathering dust for several years.