Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dark marriage comedy has sex, drinking, smoking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Happily
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
After 14 years, Tom (Joel McHale) and Janet (Kerry Bishé) are still so HAPPILY married that they nauseate their friends. When those friends uninvite them from a weekend group getaway, Tom and Janet are confronted with the idea that something is wrong with them. Natalie Zea, Natalie Morales, and Stephen Root co-star.
Is It Any Good?
Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski takes what's a snarky aside between some old married couples and tries, unsuccessfully, to turn it into a 90-minute comedy. Unfortunately, starting a joke with the punchline -- ugh, Tom and Janet still have lots of sex after all these years -- is a bit of a problem: There's nowhere to go. A promising supernatural setup takes a left turn at murder, and eventually it's clear that Grabinski doesn't know how to end the tale.
Spooky stories are Grabinski's claim to fame: He's behind the Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark? And Happily (which was executive-produced by Jack Black) is clearly the grown-up tale he's had bottled up inside. A message is bubbling up and trying to get out -- but what, exactly, is Grabinski trying to say? If you have bad friends, get new ones? Unhappy people will try to bring down happy ones? Or maybe, yep, you really should've picked another movie to watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Tom and Janet's relationship works. Why is communication important between partners?
How are drinking, drugs, and smoking depicted in Happily? Are they glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Would you define this movie as a comedy, a romance, a mystery, or a crime drama? Why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 19, 2021
- On DVD or streaming : March 19, 2021
- Cast : Joel McHale , Kerry Bishé , Natalie Morales
- Director : BenDavid Grabinski
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Saban Films
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, language throughout and brief violence
- Last updated : May 24, 2021
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