Happiness (1998) on Netflix
Three Jordan sisters and their parents search for happiness. Trish's husband Bill hides an obsession with a boy in their son's class; Helen is drawn to an anonymous caller; Joy drifts.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb7.7/1080,814 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes81%
Trailer
Plot summary
Trish Maplewood, the eldest of the Jordan sisters, is a housewife married to Bill, a psychiatrist, and they have three children. Bill keeps an obsession with Johnny Grasso, a boy in their son Billy's class, hidden from those around him. Helen, the middle sister, is a successful author, and the people in her life admire and envy her. Joy, the youngest sister, is sensitive and has no clear direction in life, and she breaks up with her boyfriend and coworker, Andy. Their parents, Mona and Lenny, have been married forty years and are now separating.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Happiness (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Sundance Film Festival refused to screen Happiness for being too disagreeable, and October Films' corporate parent Seagram objected to the pedophilia plot line and dropped it; Ronald Meyer, then CEO of Universal Pictures, was reported to have personally blocked October Films from releasing the film, which Meyer considered "morally objectionable".
- Good Machine ended up releasing and distributing the movie on its own, and Universal ironically ended up owning the rights again after it bought Good Machine in 2003.
- Because of its explicit subject matter Happiness received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, which limited its distribution and made advertising difficult, so the film surrendered the rating and was released unrated instead.
- Happiness remains unavailable to view on any streaming service or for digital purchase, though The Criterion Collection released it on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 24, 2024.
- The film was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for "its bold tracking of controversial contemporary themes, richly-layered subtext, and remarkable fluidity of visual style", and the cast received the National Board of Review award for Best Ensemble Cast.
