Movies We Missed: Happy Endings (2005)

With accusations flying that Steve Coogan was an enabler for Owen Wilson?s much-talked-about drug abuse and subsequent suicide attempt, the talented British actor is suddenly in the news for all the wrong reasons. But perhaps as a sad commentary on today?s celeb obsession or perhaps just a mirror held up to the face of human nature, his IMDB star meter and Google search count numbers have never been higher. Coogan is probably best known for his roles in a pair of Michael Winterbottom films, 24 Hour Party People and Tristram Shandy, but in America he?s probably most recognized as Octavius from Night at the Museum. The ironic, and only funny, thing about the claims that portray Coogan as a soulless nihilist is that he's at his best as an actor when he's portraying amoral, slippery little weasels, like in Don Roos? overlooked comedy Happy Endings. Giving away the sordid scheme that Coogan?s character cooks up would take the air out of the movie, but rest assured that it?s a powerful shot to the gut and reason enough to see this sharply written indie. Why we missed it:A somewhat suspect cast, lukewarm reviews and a trailer that doesn?t do justice to the clarity and comedy. Writer/director Don Roos? debut feature The Opposite of Sex raised expectations, but his second, Bounce, a star vehicle for Miramax poster children Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow and Roos? attempt at romantic drama, probably didn?t secure him a spot on your "ones to watch" list.Why we should have known:Maggie Gyllenhaal looking this cute in the trailer should have been enough for many of us to take a chance. Why we ended up kicking ourselves:The aforementioned Gyllenhaal is irresistible. Whether busting out impromptu karaoke versions of Billy Joel, seducing Jason Ritter?s gay character Otis or slyly tricking his dad (Tom Arnold) into letting her move into their guest house, she's effortless and endearing. Tom Arnold plays a humanized version of himself and reminds us that he is actually really fucking funny. All of the stories, although outrageous, stay within the realm of believability, and Roos cleverly takes his mixed bag of characters and steers them to the conclusion the title suggests. Why we may have been justified to begin with:We know Laura Dern typically plays characters who are supposed to grate on your nerves, but she?s just a little too good at it. Lisa Kudrow does her best to shake the Phoebe out of her performance, but the plotline involving her, Jesse Bradford and Bobby Cannavale is easily the film?s worst. The scenes fall flat, and the performances seem forced. — Bryan Whitefield

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