Happiness
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Todd Solondz
Bina Sharif
Ann Harada
Justin Elvin
Anne Bobby
Lara Flynn Boyle
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Joy, Trish, and Helen are the Jordan sisters from New Jersey. Joy is the non-achiever, Trish is married with three kids, and Helen is a successful author. Trish's husband Bill is a psychiatrist who counts among his patients an overweight, sexually frustrated loner named Allen who is obsessed with his next door neighbor who just happens to be Helen. Bill is not altogether stable either. This becomes clear as he fantasizes about mowing down families in the park with an assault rifle and masturbates to pictures in a teen magazine. He has also developed an unhealthy fascination with his 11-year-old son's friend Johnny. Allen has been making prank calls to Helen who suddenly snaps and challenges him to come over and do all the nasty things he's been threatening. He chickens out only to find solace in another neighbor, the hefty Kristina. The sisters' parents are breaking up after 40 years and Bill has a frank exchange with his son Billy where he admits that Billy is the focus of his sexual desire.
Cast
Bina Sharif
Ann Harada
Justin Elvin
Anne Bobby
Lara Flynn Boyle
Eytan Mirsky
Olga Stepanova
Allison Furman
Hope Pomerance
Johann Carlo
Lila Glantzman-leib
Roger Squitero
Dylan Baker
Cynthia Stevenson
Elizabeth Ashley
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Sharon Yamada
Tsepo Mokone
Molly Shannon
Dr. Eric Marcus
Doug Mcgrath
Wai Ching Ho
Gerry Becker
Matt Malloy
Jared Harris
Ben Gazzara
Arthur Nascarella
Evan Silverberg
Camryn Manheim
Rufus Read
Louise Lasser
Samuel Barber
Marla Maples
Socorro Santiago
Diane Tyler
Lisa Louise Langford
Robbie Kondor
Richard Locker
Jose Rabelo
Mary Rowell
Dan Moran
Jon Lovitz
Jane Adams
Dan Tedlie
Kazuhito Yamashita
Sandra Park
Marina Gaizidorskaia
Joe Lisi
Pamela Sklar
Crew
Jane Adams
Ethan Adelman
Marco Ajello
Maryse Alberti
Monique Alderman
Anatoly Aleshin
Richard Alger
Fabio Arber
Joe Arcidiacono
Henry Avelin
Dayvon Baldwin
Mia Barker
Joshua Barraud
Michael Barry
Catherine Bayley
Gustavo Bechini
Anna Beckman
Anna Beckman
Nadia Benamara
Sandra Bernhard
David A Best
Matt Blades
Bart Blaise
Nicole Boesch
Eric Boncher
Richard R Boudreau
Mark Boulos
Shannon Bowen
Rene Brar
Laurel Ann Bridges
Joe Brooks
Willard Buell
Lucia Burns
Sam Burtis
Brian Buteau
Greg Cahill
Jennifer Callahan
Sean J. Campbell
Stephen Carr
Libby Casinelli
Joel Catalano
Lee Chabowski
Andromache Chalfant
Nicolas Charuet
Cory Chew
Myfa Cirinna
Jeremiah Clancy
Alexander Cohen
Thomas Colavito
Chris Collins
Lisa Collomb
Charles H Connelly
Chloe Conroy
Christina Conroy
Ryan P Cooke
Barbara Cordoves
Nicole Corre
Dominic Cortese
Justin Crabill
Cindy Craig
Thomas Crehanm
Byron Crystal
Michael Dallas
Neil Danziger
Yevgeny Davidov
Clive Davis
Robert Demar
Moira Demos
Therese Deprez
Lisa Diabes
Ged Dickersin
David Diggs
John Dodgin
Thomas Downey
Matt Duncan
Jacques H Durand
Kate Eales
Elliot Earle
Tom Efinger
Frank Egan
Kent Ehrhardt
Makiko Endo
Scott English
Michael Erb
John Erbes
Karen E. Etcoff
Kimberly N. Fajen
Andrew Federman
Matt Flannery
Joe Foley
Ramsey Fong
Roy Fortier
Michael Fumento
Darryl Furr
Erin Futterman
Henny Garfunkel
Alessandro Garuzzo
Kelsey J Geisler
Michael Goetz
Steven Gorelick
Jude Gorjanc
Dave Gorn
Raphaelle Gosse-gardet
Esther Gould
Ann Goulder
Anton Graham
Christopher B Green
Denise J Grillo
Denise J Grillo
Victoria Gross
Justine Halliday
Charlene Hamer
David Harges
Benjamin Harris
Dean Haspiel
Gretchen Hatz
Nate Havens
Marcee Healy
Gus Hein
Jose Hernandez
Matthew Herrick
Anne-marie Hess
Curtis Hines
Ted Hope
Michael N Horan
Joyce Hsieh
Susan Jacobs
Zachary Jasie
Jason Tavis Jeffries
Drew Jiritano
Brian Johnson
Chad Johnson
Jon Mark Johnson
Will Johnson
George Jones
John G Karliss
Amanda Katz
Ross Katz
David Kaufman
Alex Kayne
Caroline Kazlas
Stephen Kazmierski
Elayne Keratsis
Richard Kerr
Pamela Kezal
Natalya Khorover
Charlie Kleinman
Elizabeth Klenk
Timothy M Koenig
Pamela Koffler
Eva M. Kolodner
Robbie Kondor
Robbie Kondor
Wolfgang Koslow
Janathan Kovel
Zhenia Kozlov
Tina Kronis
Tony Krouse
Sara Kugelmass
Youna Kwak
Matthew Lamonica
Ben Lauter
Jonah Lawrence
Nicki Ledermann
Gary Leib
David Linde
Steve Loeb
Joseph Logan
Melissa P Lohman
Brenda M Long
Vincent Longo
Bob Magnuson
Barry Manilow
Seth Mcallister
Sam Mcconnell
Michael Meere
Steven Menasian
Nathaniel Mendelsohn
Jake Meyers
Jonathan Michals
Jennifer Millar
Ross Miller
Eytan Mirsky
Eytan Mirsky
Bob Montero
Nicholas Montgomery
Stuart Montgomery
Guy Morgan
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Vladimir Mozenkov
Vladimir Mozenkov
Christie Mullen
Rebecca L Murray
Rebecca L Murray
Betsy Nagler
Bill Nisselson
Kathryn Nixon
Michael Nordberg
Michael D North
F Larry Orvieto
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Winner of International Critics Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Winner of Metro Media Award at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival.
Winner of the 1998 award for Best Ensemble Performance from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
Winner of two Critic's Prizes for Best Film and Best Actor (Baker) at the 1998 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
Released in United States Fall October 11, 1998
Released in United States October 16, 1998
Expanded Release in United States October 23, 1998
Released in United States on Video April 27, 1999
Released in United States 1998
Released in United States September 1998
Released in United States October 1998
Released in United States November 1998
Released in United States 1999
Shown at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival October 28 - November 15, 1998.
Shown at New York Film Festival September 25 - October 11, 1998.
Shown at St Louis International Film Festival October 29 - November 8, 1998.
Shown at Deauville Festival of American Cinema (Panorama) September 4-13, 1998.
Shown at San Sebastian International Film Festival (Zabaltegi) September 17-26, 1998.
Shown at Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media October 15-24, 1998.
Shown at Denver International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) October 8-15, 1998.
Shown at Chicago International Film Festival (Special Presentation) October 8-18, 1998.
Shown at International Mar del Plata Film Festival (in competition) November 12-21, 1998.
Shown at Thessaloniki International Film Festival (In the Shadow of the Beast) in Greece November 13-22, 1998.
Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (main program) January 27 - February 7, 1999.
Previously set for release in USA by October Films, but dropped from their release slate under pressure from parent Seagram/Universal's objections concerning the film's will distribute the film in USA.
Completed shooting October 22, 1997.
Began shooting August 25, 1997.
October 1998 release was not rated by the MPAA, although ads prohibit admission for those under 18 years of age.
Released in United States Fall October 11, 1998
Released in United States October 16, 1998 (Los Angeles)
Expanded Release in United States October 23, 1998
Released in United States on Video April 27, 1999
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival October 28 - November 15, 1998.)
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at New York Film Festival September 25 - October 11, 1998.)
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at St Louis International Film Festival October 29 - November 8, 1998.)
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at Deauville Festival of American Cinema (Panorama) September 4-13, 1998.)
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at San Sebastian International Film Festival (Zabaltegi) September 17-26, 1998.)
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at Telluride Film Festival September 3-7, 1998.)
Released in United States October 1998 (Shown at Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media October 15-24, 1998.)
Released in United States October 1998 (Shown at Denver International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) October 8-15, 1998.)
Released in United States October 1998 (Shown at Chicago International Film Festival (Special Presentation) October 8-18, 1998.)
Released in United States November 1998 (Shown at International Mar del Plata Film Festival (in competition) November 12-21, 1998.)
Released in United States November 1998 (Shown at Thessaloniki International Film Festival (In the Shadow of the Beast) in Greece November 13-22, 1998.)
Released in United States 1999 (Shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival (main program) January 27 - February 7, 1999.)
Nominated for the 1998 award for Best Screenplay (Todd Solondz) from the Chicago Film Critics Association.
