In Happy, Happy the ending
changed my entire opinion of the film. Everything was going great, and I
thought this movie was going to be great, until it unraveled. For that reason, Happy, Happy was mediocre.
A couple rents a house from
another couple, in order to revive their relationship. The two couples are
involved with each other and have dinner together; eventually the relationships
among the four are tested.
More or less, I found the first
hour interesting. Each person has secrets revealed, but somehow they keep the
story lighthearted. The actors are charming and they work well together.
There were moments when a group
of men would sing on screen. Of course, these songs were meant to represent
what's going on with the couples in the moment and the scenes were not bad, but
they weren't worth putting into the film. I'd rather the story had been
continuous without the melodic distraction.
The resolution of the film leaves
a lot on the table. The couples each have young sons who interact with one
another and the story line that develops between the two is never explored.
Furthermore, I didn't buy that everything worked out for the two couples.
Although the title clearly establishes the "happy" ending, it seemed lame and
lazy.
For a while I was onboard with
Norwegian film Happy, Happy. If only the filmmakers had given as much respect to
the ending.
