Bloodless Coup

Happy Endings

Happy Endings, written and directed by Don Roos who's probably best known for being the writer/director of The Opposite of Sex, is rather hard to describe. There are so many interlocking stories that it's hard to say exactly how they fit together in anything approaching a brief description. There are a lot of secrets being hidden, and a lot of manipulation going on. Still, for most of the characters things end rather well, so I guess you might label it a "serious and touching comedy", even if most of it isn't exactly funny. The varied cast (including, among others, Lisa Kudrow, Tom Arnold, Bobby Cannavale, Steve Coogan, Jason Ritter and Jesse Bradford) puts in some good turns - and Maggie Gyllenhaal sings! Actually maybe I should pick up the soundtrack - I kind of like her singing, even if at one point she does cover Billy Joel. So while it's not nearly my favorite rental from the last few months - I'm still very high on Mysterious Skin and I quite liked Heights - it's a largely enjoyable diversion.