HAPPY ENDINGS (U.S. / 2005)



Dan Roos Happy Endings just might be the first great post-modern relationship comedy which successfully deals with "hybrids." In this case, by hybrids I mean people who may not be quite real, but theyre also a little more than clever manifestations of a geeky Sundance-lab-approved-screenwriter. Roos, coming back to his indie-roots he cultivated with The Opposite of Sex (1998), takes us to the pseudo-bohemian SoCal we usually and only partly get to glimpse in montage sequences of Hollywood films. But here he introduces us to the over-bearing lesbians, unfaithful gay men (whove apparently been droppin babies like Basketball stars -- Roos is himself gay), gold-digging nymphets, failed musicians, etc. who seemingly populate those areas. And if these people arent relatable to most, Roos is more than happy to help with his self-consciously fulfilling title-cards. All of this is not supposed to work, but somehow it does. 

The three main narrative strands in Happy Endings involve as many as ten characters. In the somewhat far-fetched first one, an unhappy, middle-aged woman (Lisa Kudrow), whos partially involved with a Mexican masseuse (Bobby Cannavale), gets blackmailed by an amateur documentarian (Jesse Bradford) about her certain past. In the second, the gay stepbrother (a brilliantly deadpan Steve Coogan) of the aforementioned unhappy woman suspects that his lover is the father of the baby belonging to their mutual lesbian friends (Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke). And the third involves a closeted gay band-member (Jason Ritter) who becomes part of the scheme of a free-spirited singer (Maggie Gyllenhaal) whos eyeing his rich widower father (a wonderful Tom Arnold). 

While Robert Altmans shadow will always be visible in films with multiple interweaving characters, Roos seems blissfully naive about his "creations." That doesnt mean that there arent any real moments here -- there certainly are, but Roos doesnt make them resoundingly assertive. Also, he prefers not to wait till said instances degrade into uneasiness; instead, he simply moves on. Some satirical aspects are also present in Happy Endings, though the filmmaker ultimately cares about the characters, a lot more than what he initially let on with his cleverness. As a writer also, Roos certainly hasn't lost his penchant for acerbically witty one-liners: An abortion counselor, "Im not pro-life." The client, " Who is, once you start paying attention." 

Even at 130 minutes, the film never feels like an "epic," and that's partly because it is largely comprised of small, intimately shot moments: a close-up of Lisa kudrows creased face is more than enough to reveal a life lived. It grounds the film when it needs it. As for Maggie Gyllenhaal, her performance is one of the great cinematic pleasures of 2005. She creates a character almost out of nothing and then disappears in it -- no wonder she becomes invisible to everyone around her.

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*Available on DVD in the U.S. (Lions Gate).