This is kind of a misleading title because really it is about ugly drooling guys sitting around in their underwear getting drunk and wishing they could have violent sex with neighbors that won’t even talk to them and that kind of business. Which, in my opinion, is not all that happy. You know how Hollywood usually pretties everybody up? Like even the criminal element in motion pictures, most of the time they are a LOT better looking than anybody I ever worked with. And the same goes for stories, if it’s a true story chances are they’re gonna streamline it, water it down a little, gussy it up a little, make it look nice “for dramatic purposes.” But the truth is there are a lot of ugly motherfuckers in this world, and they do a lot of ugly things, like some of them call up women in the phone book and jack off while they talk about “I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’re gonna come out your ears” and what not, and coincidentally that is exactly what this picture is about, Happiness.
What this is is a loosely connected set of characters and every last one of these motherfuckers is really, really fucked up and sad, although some more than others. On the lesser side there is the old fellow who leaves his wife without giving a reason, says he’s not looking for anybody else, and when a woman seduces him he can’t get it up if you know what I mean. (Can’t get his dick up, or an erection in other words.) On the other side we have the psychiatrist who seems like a regular guy, until we see him buy a teen magazine, get in the backseat of his car and desperately jack off to a picture of a young boy. Not to give anything away but then he molests two boys.
There are ugly situations in this movie, ugly people, ugly behaviors, ugly topics. I mean pretty much everything is ugly, there is one gal who is hot looking but she’s ugly on the inside. This movie is inhabited with the most lonely, pathetic individuals you ever did see and this gal is complaining that she’s too successful and people like her too much. (more…)
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SYNECHDOCHE, NEW YORK is the most complex and convoluted movie that worked that I’ve seen in a long time. I loved it and you might too. But there’s also a good chance you’re not on its wavelength, and in that case it will be torture, like me watching WAKING LIFE.
