The Happys

The Happys
Film poster
Directed by Tom Gould and John Serpe
Produced by Will Bethencourt
Dave O'Brien
Morgan R. Stiff
Written by Tom Gould and John Serpe
Starring Amanda Bauer
Jack DePew
Janeane Garofalo
Melissa McBride
Rhys Ward
Arturo Del Puerto
Music by Pat Sansone
Cinematography Philips Shum
Edited by Terel Gibson
Distributed by Indican Pictures[1]
Release date
Running time
 87 minutes
Country U.S.
Language English

The Happys is an American narrative film written and directed by Tom Gould and John Serpe, commercially released in 2018 after screening at a dozen film festivals in the United States, winning the Alternative Spirit Award at Rhode Island International Film Festival,[2] the Best Narrative Feature award at the Durango Independent Film Festival,[3] the Audience Award at the Anchorage International Film Festival,[4] and a nomination for the Best Feature Award at the Naperville Independent Film Festival in Naperville, Illinois.[5] The movie's public premiere took place in California on March 16, 2018.[6]

Plot

A midwestern boyfriend and girlfriend move to California so that the young man may pursue a career as an actor. The young woman walks in on her boyfriend when he is having an affair with another man. After that, they face challenges in their careers and personal lives as the young woman seeks her own direction, with the friendship and support of eclectic neighbors in their neighborhood, Los Feliz (which roughly translates to "The Happys").[7]

Cast

Production

When Gould and Serpe completed the script of The Happys, Gould sent the script to Garofalo and met her for coffee, and she agreed to play Luann[11] even though Garofalo saw the character as completely dissimilar to herself.[12] In March 2015, a crowdfunding campaign was created to raise funds for the film's production costs.[13] When crowdfunding was under way, Garofalo allowed her name to be used in promotion and made jewelry to help raise funds.[11] At the close of the crowdfunding campaign, $73,620 had been raised by 619 contributors.[13] The Happys was filmed in Los Angeles, with principal photography completed in April 2015, and post-production finalized in July 2016.

Release

The Happys premiered in August 2016 at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, where the film won the Alternative Spirit Award.[2] In October 2016, The Happys was an official selection in Taste of Film program at the MiFo Outshine Film Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[14] In November 2016, The Happys was an official selection at the St. Louis International Film Festival, in St. Louis, Missouri,[15] and the Reedy Reels Film Festival in Greenville, South Carolina.[16] At the Anchorage International Film Festival in December 2016, The Happys won the Audience Award.[4]

In February 2017, The Happys was an official LBGTQ films selection at the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi,[17] and an official selection at the Sedona International Film Festival in Sedona, Arizona.[18] In March 2017, The Happys was awarded the Best Narrative Feature award at the Durango Independent Film Festival, Durango, Colorado,[3] and was an official selection at the Green Mountain Film Festival in Montpelier, Vermont.[19]

In April 2017, The Happys was an official selection at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival in Dubuque, Iowa,[20] and at the Phoenix Film Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona.[21] The Happys was nominated for the Best Feature Award in September 2017 at the Naperville Independent Film Festival in Naperville, Illinois.[5]

The theatrical premiere of The Happys took place on March 16, 2018 in California.[22][23]

Critical reception

Responding to festival screenings of The Happys, critics called the movie "one ironically fun film about what it means to be happy"[24] that "jumps fearlessly into its subject matter."[25] Variety described The Happys as a "middling work,"[26] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it is a "quirky, insiderish L.A. dramedy,"[27] the Los Angeles Times said it was "a cutesy classic Hollywood tale adapted for modern times,"[6] and The Advocate called The Happys "charming and thoughtful."[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Happys, The". Indican Pictures. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "RIIFF Awards - 2016 Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Rhode Island International Film Festival. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Congratulations to our 2017 Festival Winners!". Durango Independent Film Festival. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Films Worth Freezing For". Anchorage International Film Festival. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Our Nominees and Award Recipients". Naperville Inependent Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Walsh, Katie (March 15, 2018). "Lightweight comedy 'The Happys' lives the Los Feliz dream, sort of". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  7. ↑ Erbland, Kate (November 23, 2016). "Making It in Hollywood Takes An Unexpected Turn in Charming Festival Favorite". IndieWire. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (August 4, 2015). "Amanda Bauer, Jack DePew Join 'Walking Dead,' 'Wet Hot' Stars in 'The Happys'". The Wrap. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ Owens, Steve (February 8, 2018). "Walking Dead Actor Explodes Onscreen in ... "The Happys"". Entertainment World. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (July 30, 2015). "'The Returned' Star Rhys Ward Lands a Lead Role in Indie Movie 'The Happys'". The Wrap. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Parker, Melissa (March 1, 2018). "Janeane Garofalo Interview: "There's Nothing Really Anyone Could Say to Penetrate Not Just Trump but the Republican Party"". Smashing Interviews.
  12. 1 2 Anderson-Minshall, Diane (March 16, 2018). "Janeane Garofalo Is Still the Voice of My Generation". The Advocate. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Serpe, John (March 8, 2015). "THE HAPPYS: a feature film with Janeane Garofalo". Indiegogo. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  14. ↑ "A Taste of Film". MiFo Outshine Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Happys - Schedule". St. Louis International Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ Hyde, Paul (November 2, 2016). "Preview: Reedy Reels Film Fest moves to Peace Center". Greenville News. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ "LGBTQ Films". Oxford Film Festival 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Festival Programme". 23rd Sedona International Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Festival Program and Schedule". 20th Annual Green Mountain Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Feature Films". Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Saturday, April 8 - The Happys". 2017 Phoenix Film Festival. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  22. ↑ Billington, Alex (February 27, 2018). "First Trailer for LA Indie Comedy 'The Happys' Starring Amanda Bauer". FirstShowing. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  23. ↑ Crust, Kevin (March 11, 2018). "L.A. movie openings, March 16". Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  24. ↑ Tronicek, Stephen (November 9, 2016). "SLIFF 2016 Review – The Happys". We Are Movie Geeks. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ Lutack, Rachel (August 31, 2016). "Movie Review - 'The Happys'". mxdwn. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  26. ↑ Schager, Nick (March 12, 2018). "Film Review: 'The Happys'". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  27. ↑ Scheck, Frank (March 19, 2018). "'The Happys': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
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