Iffy for 16+
Intense, mature drama excavates too many family skeletons.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this indie drama serves is brimming with family dysfunction, centered around a wedding. The movie's heavy material -- drug abuse, physical abuse, estrangement, self-harm, and death -- could make it overwhelming for some adult viewers, let alone tweens and young teens. Expect plenty of swearing ("f--k," "s--t," etc.), brief nudity and some crass sex talk, lingering scenes of a teen getting high, and heartbreaking meanness among family members who appear to want to care for each other, even if they're not very good at showing it.
- Families can talk about how Another Happy Day portrays family relationships. Is this a positive view of families? A negative one? What's the overall message?
- Why does Hollywood like to mine family get togethers for drama? What makes these situations inherently rife with material?
- How does the movie deal with addiction? Are the consequences of substance use and abuse realistic? Parents, talk to your teens about alcohol and drug use.
The good stuff
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Messages: This family's landscape is pretty bleak. But if there's any positive message here, it's that even in the most dysfunctional of families, there may still be slivers of communality and love. Also, it's important to honor your own truth.
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Role models: Pretty much everyone is flawed/hobbled in this film. Nonetheless, Lynn is clearly trying mightily to figure out how to be at peace and happy with her life and her children.
What to watch for
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Violence: Lots of fighting (both loud and hushed) and name-calling among family members. A son pushes his mother during a quarrel. References to how a man once beat his ex-wife. A man crashes a lawn mower into a tree. Discussions about how one character cuts herself. A teen says some very nasty things about his much younger sibling.
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Sex: Brief nudity. Older teens and young adults also have crass conversations about sex.
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Language: Relatively frequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "b-tch," "a--hole," "damn," and more.
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Consumerism: Some car logos visible.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: A teenager is shown tripping on his grandfather's Fentanyl a number of times. He also talks about getting high on cough syrup, and he and other teens and young adults smoke dope. Social drinking.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
A gem by Doctor Marvel
Ar great screenplay rippling with dark humor of the highest quality: a very disturbing family tragedy out of a greek drama, that had the audience in stitches half the time, and benunbed sadness the other half. Extraordinary performances by Ellen Barkin as the guilt ridden, thin skinned mother vixen; Ezra Miller as a modern day Hamlet-- brilliant verbal, omniscient, and self-destroying, Ellen Burstyn as the tight lipped grand dame of the family, a poignant performance by the aged George Kennedy as the demented grandfather, and young Daniel Yestin spot on as a very smoart asperger's kid brother, Thomas Haden Church furious at his cluelessness, Demi Moore, on and on great performances Defnitely R rated! Great score by first time movie scoring icelandic composer Olafur Arnalds, great directing--- a fabulous movie that is being horribly squelched in the theaters and by reviewers who really don't get it.
4
Family Dysfunction At Its Best by ejwright54
'Another Happy Day' is an excellent study of a dysfunctional family, artfully done without affectation. There is simply no fluff, everything that is done needs to be done, everything that is said needs to be said. Because of this, 'Another Happy Day' hit home with the audience I viewed the film with opening night in NYC. This was evidenced by the silence that followed the last scene. As for casting, I'm an Ellen Barkin fan and it's hard for her to go wrong; Ellen Burstyn and Ezra Miller (who I wasn't familiar with) were outstanding! George Kennedy hasn't lost his acting chops; Demi Moore was a pleasant surprise.
Go see this film!
4
A Nice, Dark Ensemble Comedy by rjsupajr
While not great there were some stand out performances, including Demi Moore - the best thing she's done in a long time, save Margin Call - Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth - the best thing she's done... period and a breakout performance by Ezra Miller. By far worth the price of admission. The story is a bit choppy never quite sure whether it's a drama or a comedy and trying to be both but not always successfully.
3
Another Happy Day by havaswede
I just watched this movie and I want to know what the "moral or the story is"? I think it hits home with alot of people... but the dysfunction and never addressing people waking up to what they are doing wrong was stupid. If I could ask the writer what his point was in making this movie I would feel better about watching this depressing movie. The movie is heavy and interesting but leaves the viewer wondering what message to take from story. I am frustrated by movies that don't finish the thought!