Happy Tears

Plot: Two sisters return home to deal with their sick father and get into some funny, unexpected situations.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otsSvWhmFKk

Starring: Emmy Nominee Demi Moore [If These Walls Could Talk (TV)], 2 Time Indie Spirit Nominee Parker Posey (Broken English), Oscar nominee Rip Torn (Cross Creek), Emmy Winner Ellen Barkin [Before Women Had Wings (tv)], Indie Spirit Nominee Celia Weston (Dead Man Walking).

Written & Directed by: Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee Mitchell Lichtenstein (Teeth)

Review: I'd recommend watching the trailer before reading this review (there's a link at the top of this post). Happy Tears did not make me cry happy tears, but did make me laugh a few times. This is not your typical indie family-centric film. It has some humor and whimsy to it which I appreciate. It has well-fleshed out characters as well as funny plot points. Laura (Moore) and Jayne (Posey) have to take care of their father (Torn) who is starting to show signs of dementia. These two sisters are completely different. The older one Laura is the responsible one while the younger one Jayne is the flighty, spoiled one. This is pretty typical in these types of family-centric films, except the audience gets to literally see what's going on inside the head of Jayne. She being the naive, sheltered one plays out in fantasy sequences inside her head. With this being a well-written indie film, it is explained why she is like this. You really understand these two characters. The problem is I really didn't like either of them by the time I got to know them. I didn't like any of the characters for that matter. I did laugh throughout this film. Torn was hilarious with his bouts of dementia induced antics, the fantasy sequences are amusing, and Posey is charming (at least until her character becomes less than). I would recommend this film as a rental because it's unique in it's approach to a story we've all seen before and I laughed some, but I personally never want to see these characters played out again.

Rating:

Writing-B

Acting: A

Directing-A

Music-A

Cinematography-B

Editing-B

Visual Effects-A

Art Direction- B

Hair-A

Makeup-A

Costumes- A

** Stars