Happily is a 2021 American comedy thriller film written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski, in his directorial debut. It stars Joel McHale, Kerry Bishé, Stephen Root, Natalie Morales, Paul Scheer and Natalie Zea.
| Happily | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | BenDavid Grabinski |
| Written by | BenDavid Grabinski |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Adam Bricker |
| Edited by | Spencer Houck |
| Music by | Joseph Trapanese |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Saban Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
It was released on March 19, 2021 by Saban Films.
Premise
editTom and Janet's friends are jealous of their lustful relationship. When a visit from a mysterious stranger leads to a dead body, they begin to question the loyalty of their so-called friends.
Cast
edit- Joel McHale as Tom
- Kerry Bishé as Janet
- Stephen Root as Goodman
- Natalie Zea as Karen
- Paul Scheer as Val
- Natalie Morales as Patricia
- Jon Daly as Donald
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Maude
- Charlyne Yi as Gretel
- Breckin Meyer as Richard
- Shannon Woodward as Carla
- Brea Grant as Cashier
- Al Madrigal as Arthur
Production
editIn February, 2019 it was announced that Joel McHale, Kerry Bishé, Stephen Root, Natalie Zea, Paul Scheer, Natalie Morales, Jon Daly, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Charlyne Yi, Breckin Meyer, Shannon Woodward, Brea Grant and Al Madrigal had been cast in the film, with BenDavid Grabinski directing from his screenplay. Nancy Leopardi, Ross Kohn, Jack Black and Spencer Berman would produce the film under their Indy Entertainment and Electric Dynamite companies, while Kyle Newman and Chuckie Duff would be executive producers under his Common Wealth Media banner.[2]
Principal photography began in Los Angeles in February 2019.[3]
Release
editIt was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2020.[4] However, the festival was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In November 2020, Saban Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[6] It was released on March 19, 2021.[7]
Reception
editReview aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 70% approval rating based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Happily struggles to fully realize its ambitions, but at its best, this intermittently intriguing drama makes pointed -- and frequently funny -- observations about modern relationships."[8] According to Metacritic, which sampled 11 critics and calculated a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, the film received "mixed or average reviews".[9]
References
edit- ^ "Happily". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (February 27, 2019). "Joel McHale, Kerry Bishe to Star in Dark Comedy Thriller 'Happily' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Happily". Production List. 7 January 2019. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (March 3, 2020). "Tribeca Sets Feature Lineup Of Films For 2020 Fest". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ Beresford, Tribly; Lewis, Hilary (March 12, 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Amid Coronavirus Fears". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 9, 2020). "Saban Films Takes North American & UK Rights To Dark Comedy 'Happily' Starring Joel McHale, Kerry Bishé & Stephen Root". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ Ferme, Antonio (February 9, 2021). "'Happily': Watch the First Trailer for Joel McHale's Dark Romantic Comedy". Variety. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "Happily (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ "Happily Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.