Happy Endings (2005)
7/10
Will Oscar remember Lisa Kudrow at the end of the year?
14 November 2005
"Everything is a much bigger decision than we think"

Sound familiar, it could pass for an independent cinema manta. Hey, this is an indie comedy - guilty as charged. It seems the critics has seen all these characters and situations before but what they've failed to grasp is that quirky, ironic, and painfully funny moments are what make indies worth watching and the more familiar the better. Not to mention risky casting and this film has all of that and more.

On that note I put in my bid for Lisa Kudrow's first Oscar nomination as she has finally broken the 'Friends' mold (along with a streak of bad studio comedies) and fleshed out a three-dimensional character. As 'Mamie', the abortion counselor, Kudrow must painfully convey both a personal secret humiliation while dealing with indifferent patients. As if that isn't enough, Mamie also finds herself being blackmailed by filmmaker-wannabe 'Nicky', played with needy bravado by Jesse Bradford ("Bring It On"), who has some information she doesn't want anyone else to know.

Another comic actor who also breaks the Hollywood mold (so to speak) is longtime sidekick Tom Arnold ("True Lies") as 'Frank', a role he should have 'paid' to play. Why you ask? - well he does get to seduce 'not-one-but-two' of the great actresses in this film and does so with all of the comic neediness one would expect. Still, it's a role to die for and he raises his game to meet the challenge.

I could go on and on about this cast which is stocked with indie starlets like Laura Dern ("We Don't Live Here Anymore") and Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Secretary") plus hilarious comic actors ranging from Steve Coogan ("Coffee and Cigarettes") to Bobby Cannavale ("The Station Agent"). In fact, it's Cannavale's masseuse character (with the hilariously bad Mexican accent) that gives the title of the film its ironic twist.

And if you like disturbingly funny (albeit intrusive) on screen intertitles then this is the film for you. Indie fans UNITE! - this is your MUST-SEE viewing for the summer! It's like a quirky, old friend you've been longing to re-acquaint yourself with - plus it'll help to take away the 'bad taste' left in your mouth by more recent indie fare like "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" and "Palindromes."

Check it out!
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