Writer: Haroula Rose and Coburn Goss
Director: Haroula Rose
Built on the Tolstoy quote about the generic appearance of happy families while unhappy ones are individually troubled, Haroula Rose and Coburn Goss’ film released in cinemas struggles to find an identity as it follows writer Graham, his famous brother Will and their parents through a period of strain. A domestic drama largely set around Graham’s home, All Happy Families meanders across its short running time with a story that isn’t sure which plot lines it wants to follow.
Needing money to fix up what was once the family home, Graham (Josh Radnor) decides to rent out a room, meeting chef Dana (Chandra Russell) who he is attracted to. But before she moves in his famous actor brother arrives to hide from a public accusation of misconduct and their parents also return to Chicago to help them through the following days.
Rose and Coburn’s film feels like an extended sitcom that offers very few resolutions to its multiple plot lines including mother Sue (Becky Ann Baker) being sexually harassed by her boss at her retirement party early in the film, money worries, Will self-righteously defending his behaviour against allegations of similar behaviour towards his younger colleague and announcing to his family that their teenage grandchild has changed gender – a subplot that exists merely for grandfather Roy (John Ashton) to make inappropriate comments and the rest to show support. In fact All Happy Families is filled with sexist and bigoted behaviour towards women including a local bar worker who is ogled by the men of the family and Roy earlier blames the victim for his son’s transgression none of which is satisfactorily addressed.
In a film that centres the self-pitying whining of over-indulged middle-aged men, even the cliched central character, Graham is frustratingly rewarded for his behaviour as a middle-aged unsuccessful writer who does nothing at all during the film’s 90-minutes besides complain but is ultimately rewarded with a job and the girl of his dreams without deserving it. It is such a tired trope and All Happy Families does nothing new with it and never manages to make Graham sympathetic, a man wallowing in his self-inflicted stupor who never cleans up – what a catch for Dana.
And then it all peters out, no one learns any lessons or has to sacrifice anything much, Graham gets his rom-com moment and everyone goes home. So while American family drama is the lifeblood of film and theatre stories, this one never really gets going and with the audience already aware of most of the ‘secrets,’ there’s little in the plot or characterisation to sustain investment.
Performances from Baker and Rusell elevate the film but even Tolstoy would find the personal troubles of this unhappy family’s story hard to root for.
All Happy Families is in cinemas 14 March from Bulldog Film Distribution.
