by Frank Calvillo
Movies such as Welcome to Happiness make me sad. No, I’m not trying to open this review with a second-rate joke. I’m being totally serious when I say that I feel sadness at the thought of films such as this deep and delightful indie, which mixes magical realism with rich human drama, only being seen by the select few who deign to turn up to one of the small handful of theaters it will play at. It makes me sad because there are so many parts of the population who would garner so much from watching writer/director Oliver Thompson’s unique and refreshing view on the ongoing quest for what many perceive as happiness and how it can ultimately be attained.
In Welcome to Happiness, a 20-something man named Woody (Kyle Gallner) lives a small, yet meaningful existence. Having emotionally recovered from the car accident which took his parents lives years before, Woody has carved out a career for himself as a successful children’s book author. However Woody has also been given a unique gift (or curse, as he sees it). In the hall closet of his apartment lies a small door upon which people may enter and find themselves reversing certain moments of their past which proved painful and had profound long-lasting effects on their lives. As the resident of the apartment, Woody honors his obligation by guiding every person who shows up at his door through the closet, helping them find closure, but finds a strong frustration growing when he finds that he himself is unable to have the same experience.
Welcome to Happiness is a the perfect example of a surrealist comedy, where a chain of somewhat otherworldly events link the most random and unorthodox of people together with other MORE unorthodox people. There’s a wonderful shifting back and forth between worlds real and imagined, with certain characters trying to decipher which is which at times. All of this proves so incredibly intriguing as an audience member. The collection of twists and turns within the dual, multi-layered plot were full of the kind of quirky and mysterious nature that populated the works of Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll, but have been refashioned here with 21st century sensibilities.
Far out premise aside, Welcome to Happiness proves to be one of the most cathartic movie experiences of the year thanks to the wealth of human emotions it explores, most of which come courtesy of the film’s main character. “You’ve always been so content Woody,” one character states. “What happened?” “Maybe I wouldn’t have been so content if I knew the truth,” he replies. For Woody, the ultimate frustration in his life the fact that others are able to find happiness, fulfillment and enlightenment, yet he can’t. It’s a wonderfully illustrated truth, which echoes the problem of so many lost individuals in today’s world. “I sleep 10 feet from a door that lets prostitutes and junkies have a second chance at life,” Woody exclaims. “Yet, I’m not worthy of the same!” The truth of the matter is that Woody is worthy, but fails to realize that he doesn’t need the door in the closet. He has the capacity within himself to live a life full of promise, joy and contentment. The reason he doesn’t know it is for the sheer reason that people find happiness when they are ready to find happiness and not before. It’s the kind of happiness which only comes from making peace with the past, accepting the present and looking forward to the future.
Welcome to Happiness is loaded with a slew of recognizable actors, including Nick Offerman, Olivia Thirlby, Frances Conroy and Paget Brewster, all of whom are truly having some fun with the offbeat script. Yet it’s three specific performances which truly leave their mark, albeit in various ways. First off, Gallner is perfect as the film’s lead, seamlessly carrying the majority of the story and the many emotions within his character. Likewise, Brendan Sexton III is so compelling as a broken down individual struggling to come to grips with his dark past. On the flip side, the usually dependable Keegan Michael-Key gives an especially unappealing performance as a mysterious, if perpetually happy, figure with ties to most of the film’s characters. The actor certainly cannot be faulted for his performance, mainly because the character he’s playing is just so annoyingly written, he more or less had no other option.
Towards the end of the film, I recalled the 1998 Meryl Streep/Renee Zellweger drama One True Thing, in which Streep (in an Oscar-nominated role as a mother stricken with cancer) proclaims to her cynical daughter (Zellweger): “It’s so much easier to be happy, my love. It’s so much easier to CHOOSE to love the things that you have.” It’s that same sentiment which flows throughout Welcome to Happiness, which in the end states that while the image of happiness may be nothing more than a shape-shifting fantasy, actual true happiness is usually in front of each person’s eyes. It’s up to each individual to realize and accept it.
