Thanks largely to the raw bravery and intensity of the two leads' performances, Happy Together takes a quantum leap forward in terms of visceral power.
88
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
Happy Together is Wong's most fully realized work. It is a pleasure to watch an interesting mind feel his way, and the result is something more than just a passing fancy.
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Stylistically brash, pulsing with life.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Wong returns once more to what he seems to know best - the visual poetry of the urban Asian night, a world of characters on the move, coming and going, never really getting anywhere. [5 Dec 1997]
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Structurally and dramatically this is all over the place, but stylistically it's gripping, and thematically it suggests an oblique response to the end of Hong Kong's colonial rule.
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The vignettes don't add up to a story, but Wong's nervy brio and subterranean-fantasy style make for an arresting work about an exotic subculture.
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Wong Kar-Wai, whose energetic and inventive style isn't enough to give the shallow story the substance and resonance it needs.
50
SalonCharles Taylor
SalonCharles Taylor
Happy Together feels joylessly fussed over.
40
Empire
Empire
In the absence of any genuine emotional wallop, it is the directorial pizzazz that pulls you through. Just about.