With plays about dysfunctional families taking over the stage, "Another Happy Day" reminds me of many of them. "August: Osage County", "Other Desert Cities" and "The Lyons" were excellently written views of screwed-up people trying to keep their clans together no matter how miserable they made each other. Ellen Barkin is excellent as one of three sisters who returns home to visit her mother (Ellen Burstyn) when Barkin's son (raised by his father) is about to be married. Resentments pop up all over the place, usually focusing on three of Barkin's four children who are all dealing with emotional issues that go way beyond their control and have the equally problem loaded Barkin at her wits end of what to do. Only the soon-to-be married son seems to be drama free, a fact that one of her children points out to her as being the result of not having been reared by her. That is probably why his bride-to-be hasn't run away once she sees what the rest of the family is like.
First hubby Thomas Haden Church is married to the luscious looking Demi Moore who seems quite together at first and even is friendly towards Barkin. But like all of those Broadway plays, relationships are not what they seem to be, and resentments explode into angry words and potential violence. Glamorous mom Burstyn is dealing with her quiet husband George Kennedy's constant heart problems, and has no patience for Barkin's constant drama. Barkin's two gossipy sisters aren't any help, either, especially when one of them discovers one of the sons putting on lipstick. The events are documented by the youngest son who wants to film the entire weekend. This calls for break-out performances by the two young actors as Barkin's children from what seems to be a better second marriage. All sorts of secrets are revealed, and like in real life, many of the issues are never resolved.
Sometimes it is awkward to watch these sorts of dramas unfold as it feels like you are staring into people's souls. I couldn't relate to Barkin's character, but I empathized with her as to her unsure nature of how to deal with everything. I wanted payback for the two sisters whose goal in life it seems was to discredit everybody else in the family. I also really found Burstyn and Kennedy's stories to be touching, really understanding the generational gap between each part of the family tree. Burstyn dominates the action in every scene she does, expressing her disappointments and breaking down in her praise of the quiet husband she is so afraid of loosing. Kennedy has little to say, but expresses so much with his eyes and just the single sentences he is able to get out.
There are some nice little bits of hints here and there, especially concerning what kind of character Moore really is. Watch Church's reaction to his wife in the last quarter of the movie. What isn't said is much more powerful than the verbal. Ezra Miller is an actor to watch. Get this young actor on Broadway!
First hubby Thomas Haden Church is married to the luscious looking Demi Moore who seems quite together at first and even is friendly towards Barkin. But like all of those Broadway plays, relationships are not what they seem to be, and resentments explode into angry words and potential violence. Glamorous mom Burstyn is dealing with her quiet husband George Kennedy's constant heart problems, and has no patience for Barkin's constant drama. Barkin's two gossipy sisters aren't any help, either, especially when one of them discovers one of the sons putting on lipstick. The events are documented by the youngest son who wants to film the entire weekend. This calls for break-out performances by the two young actors as Barkin's children from what seems to be a better second marriage. All sorts of secrets are revealed, and like in real life, many of the issues are never resolved.
Sometimes it is awkward to watch these sorts of dramas unfold as it feels like you are staring into people's souls. I couldn't relate to Barkin's character, but I empathized with her as to her unsure nature of how to deal with everything. I wanted payback for the two sisters whose goal in life it seems was to discredit everybody else in the family. I also really found Burstyn and Kennedy's stories to be touching, really understanding the generational gap between each part of the family tree. Burstyn dominates the action in every scene she does, expressing her disappointments and breaking down in her praise of the quiet husband she is so afraid of loosing. Kennedy has little to say, but expresses so much with his eyes and just the single sentences he is able to get out.
There are some nice little bits of hints here and there, especially concerning what kind of character Moore really is. Watch Church's reaction to his wife in the last quarter of the movie. What isn't said is much more powerful than the verbal. Ezra Miller is an actor to watch. Get this young actor on Broadway!