Happy Here and Now

Happy Here and Now is a 2002 mystery drama film directed by Michael Almereyda.[2] The film stars David Arquette, Liane Balaban, Gloria Reuben, Ally Sheedy, and Karl Geary. Happy Here and Now had its world premiere at the CineVegas film festival in June 2002 and subsequently went on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival that September. The film did not receive a limited theatrical release until December 14, 2005, three years after the film first debuted.

Happy Here and Now
Film poster
Directed byMichael Almereyda
Written byMichael Almereyda
Produced byCallum Greene
Anthony Katagas
StarringDavid Arquette
Liane Balaban
Gloria Reuben
Ally Sheedy
Karl Geary
CinematographyJonathan Herron
Edited byKristina Boden
Music byDavid Julyan
Production
companies
IFC Productions
Keep Your Head[1]
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
  • December 14, 2005 (2005-12-14) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It won a Special Jury Prize at SXSW in 2003 and was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2004.

Plot

When Muriel, an unhappy young woman, goes missing, her worried sister Amelia desperately searches the Internet for a clue to her sibling's whereabouts. Amelia is guided by mysterious webcam footage found on Muriel’s laptop and is aided by Bill, a private investigator. Amelia’s search leads her deep into New Orleans’ underbelly.

Cast

Reception

Happy Here and Now has a 48% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews.[3] The critics consensus reads, "Happy Here and Now has a rich setting and some interesting ideas, but the story frustratingly refuses to spark to life."[3]

IndieWire commented the film is "unsure of its ideas"—which are the questions "How is that someone can go missing with all the means at hand to stay in touch?" and "Given all the means we have to keep in touch with each other, why don’t we go missing more often?"[4] The review conceded, "somehow, in the midst of all of these discontinuities and missed connections, Almereyda, miraculously, answers both of his questions, and shapes a cast of characters worthy of the emotional resolution granted them."[4]

Jason Buchanan of AllMovie gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and described it as "an obscure and disturbing study in the nature of avatars in the age of technological isolation."[2]

Jeremiah Kipp of Slant Magazine reviewed the film positively, writing "What might seem like a cold and remote, entirely theoretical, and abstract intellectual exercise is given fresh life, even poetry, by the cityscape in which the tale is set: New Orleans. Almereyda made the film in 2001, intending the story to take place five minutes from now—but instead it feels like some kind of elegy for a ghost city, adding deeper resonance to the story of Muriel, whom it is suggested disappeared into the Internet itself. What once was present no longer exists, and yet there remains an indescribable resonance."[5]

Accolades

Happy Here and Now won the special jury award for narrative feature at SXSW in 2003.[6] It received a nomination for the Producers Award at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards.[7]

References
  1. Foundas, Scott (June 12, 2002). "Happy Here and Now". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  2. "Happy Here and Now (2002)". AllMovie.
  3. "Happy Here and Now". Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. Carter, Clarence (December 13, 2005). "Happy Here and Now". IndieWire. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. Kipp, Jeremiah (December 11, 2005). "Review: Happy Here and Now". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  6. "SXSW Gives "Sexless" and "Happy Here and Now" Awards for 10th Anniversary Film Fest". IndieWire. March 13, 2003. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  7. "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Film Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
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