# Happy Tears

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{{About|2009 Comedy-drama film|the Roy Lichtenstein painting|Happy Tears (Roy Lichtenstein)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Happy Tears
| image          = Happytearsfilmposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [Mitchell Lichtenstein](/source/Mitchell_Lichtenstein)
| producer       = Joyce M. Pierpoline
| writer         = Mitchell Lichtenstein
| starring       = [Parker Posey](/source/Parker_Posey)<br>[Demi Moore](/source/Demi_Moore)<br>[Rip Torn](/source/Rip_Torn)<br>[Billy Magnussen](/source/Billy_Magnussen)<br>[Sebastian Roché](/source/Sebastian_Roch%C3%A9)<br>[Ellen Barkin](/source/Ellen_Barkin)
| music          = [Robert Miller](/source/Robert_Miller_(composer))
| cinematography = [Jamie Anderson](/source/Jamie_Anderson_(cinematographer))
| editing        = Joe Landauer
| distributor    = [Roadside Attractions](/source/Roadside_Attractions)
| released       = {{Film date|2009|2|11|Berlin Film Festival|2010|2|19|United States}}
| runtime        = 95 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| gross          = $22,464<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1985381889/|title=Happy Tears|website=[Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo)|publisher=[IMDb](/source/IMDb)|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>
}}
'''''Happy Tears''''' is a 2009 American [independent](/source/independent_film) [comedy-drama](/source/comedy-drama) film by [Mitchell Lichtenstein](/source/Mitchell_Lichtenstein). It stars [Parker Posey](/source/Parker_Posey), [Demi Moore](/source/Demi_Moore), [Rip Torn](/source/Rip_Torn), [Sebastian Roché](/source/Sebastian_Roch%C3%A9), [Ellen Barkin](/source/Ellen_Barkin), and [Billy Magnussen](/source/Billy_Magnussen). The film premiered at the [Berlin International Film Festival](/source/Berlin_International_Film_Festival) on February 11, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[Berlin International Film Festival](/source/Berlin_International_Film_Festival)|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/archive/jahresarchive/2009/02_programm_2009/02_filmdatenblatt_2009_20090871.html|title=Happy Tears|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref> and was released theatrically in the United States on February 19, 2010.

==Plot==
{{More plot|date=November 2015}}
Jayne and Laura play sisters helping their crude but endearing father Joe deal with age-related health and mental problems. Wealthy by marriage, Jayne is otherwise psychologically fragile. Conversely, Laura has her hands full with domestic responsibilities but is considerably more grounded. Upon returning to their childhood home to help their father, they face difficult, frequently comic situations. The home, their deceased mother's effects, and their father's eccentricities evoke memories and sentiments, especially for Jayne. The sisters bicker over the seriousness of their father's condition. They also contend with a romantic dalliance between Joe and his equally eccentric, wigged-out "nurse" Shelly. The struggle to balance familial duties with their own strained lives suggests a more meaningful family connection they may not have had as children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2009/02/berlin-sinks-some-teeth-into-happy-tears-247502/|title=Berlin Sinks Some Teeth into ''Happy Tears''|date=February 11, 2009|work=[IndieWire](/source/IndieWire)|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [Parker Posey](/source/Parker_Posey) as Jayne
**Julianna and Jacquelyn Conforti as Young Jayne
* [Demi Moore](/source/Demi_Moore) as Laura
**Alyssa Klein as Young Laura
* [Rip Torn](/source/Rip_Torn) as Joe
* [Sebastian Roché](/source/Sebastian_Roch%C3%A9) as Laurent
* [Ellen Barkin](/source/Ellen_Barkin) as Shelly
* [Christian Camargo](/source/Christian_Camargo) as Jackson
* [Victor Slezak](/source/Victor_Slezak) as Eli Bell
* David L. King as Dr. Sims
* Aldous Davidson as Waiter
* Richard Barlow as Mitch
* [Billy Magnussen](/source/Billy_Magnussen) as Ray
**Anderson Folsom as Young Ray
* [Susan Blommaert](/source/Susan_Blommaert) as Mallory
* Suzanne Inman as Nurse
* [Celia Weston](/source/Celia_Weston) as Neighbor
* Tom McNutt as Neighbor
* Marilyn Yoblick as Yard Sale Woman
* [Roger Rees](/source/Roger_Rees) as Antiques Dealer
* Benjamin Brandreth as Ben
}}

==Production==
The shooting schedule was completed in 2008 and included locations in and around [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) including [Prospect Park](/source/Prospect_Park%2C_Pennsylvania), [Center City](/source/Center_City%2C_Philadelphia) and [Cabrini College](/source/Cabrini_College).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/year-in-review/20080516_A_frenzy_of_filming_in_Philly.html|title=A frenzy of filming in Philly|last=Klein|first=Michael|work=[The Philadelphia Inquirer](/source/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer)|date=May 16, 2008|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

==Reception==
On [review aggregator](/source/review_aggregator) website [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes), the film holds a 29% score based on 34 reviews, with an [average rating](/source/Weighted_arithmetic_mean) of 4.4/10. The site's consensus states: "Replete with quirky indie clichés, Happy Tears wastes some fine performances from Demi Moore, Parker Posey, and Rip Torn on stale formula".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10010940-happy_tears|title=Happy Tears (2009)|website=[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)|publisher=[Fandango Media](/source/Fandango_Media)|accessdate=April 11, 2025}}</ref> On [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of a 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/happy-tears|title=Happy Tears (2009)|website=[Metacritic](/source/Metacritic)|publisher=[CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive)|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

Noel Murray of ''[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)'' described ''Happy Tears'' as "a complete mess of a movie", but also mentioning that "Lichtenstein conjures some sweet moments and striking metaphors".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/happy-tears-1798164447|last=Murray|first=Noel|title=Happy Tears|work=[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)|publisher=[The Onion](/source/The_Onion)|date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

[Michael Phillips](/source/Michael_Phillips_(critic)) of the ''[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)'' wrote that "[the film] settles for the usual moments, even at its quirkiest".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-xpm-2010-02-18-sc-mov-0216-happy-tears-20100218-story.html|last=Phillips|first=Michael|authorlink=Michael Phillips (critic)|title=Writer-director fails 'Happy Tears'|work=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)|date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

In an interview for ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'', Manohla Dargis said that "writer and director Mitchell Lichtenstein struggles to find the humor in a host of horrors".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/movies/19happy.html|last=Dargis|first=Manohla Dargis|title=The Many Shades of Family Dysfunction|newspaper=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)|date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

According to Leslie Felperin of ''[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))'' magazine, the film is "a contradictory creature, both insightful and dumb".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 11, 2009|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/happy-tears-1200473685/|last=Felperin|first=Leslie|title=Happy Tears|magazine=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))}}</ref>

''[Slant Magazine](/source/Slant_Magazine)''{{'}}s  Nick Schager gave the film a half star explaining his reasoning for it as "[''Happy Tears''] succeeds only at suggesting the incompatibility of returning-home dramedy and surrealistic flights of fancy".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/happy-tears/|last=Schager|first=Nick|title=Review: Happy Tears|magazine=[Slant Magazine](/source/Slant_Magazine)|date=February 15, 2010}}</ref> David Fear of ''[Time Out](/source/Time_Out_(magazine))'' managed to give a film at least one star, writing "Not even the reliable Posey can salvage this slag heap".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/happy-tears-1|last=Fear|first=David|title=Happy Tears|magazine=[Time Out](/source/Time_Out_(magazine))|date=February 16, 2010}}</ref>

Melissa Anderson of ''[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)'' wrote "Other than the guest-starring appearance of [Cy Twombly](/source/Cy_Twombly) canvases, nothing distinguishes this poor relation of The Savages from all the other emotionally fraudulent Amerindies about familial dysfunction and reconciliation".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2010/02/16/mitchell-lichtenstein-continues-bad-filmmaking-with-happy-tears/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730163123/https://www.villagevoice.com/2010/02/16/mitchell-lichtenstein-continues-bad-filmmaking-with-happy-tears/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 30, 2021|last=Anderson|first=Melissa|title=Mitchell Lichtenstein Continues Bad Filmmaking with Happy Tears|work=[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)|date=February 16, 2010|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

Despite all the negative criticism of the film, [Roger Ebert](/source/Roger_Ebert) of the ''[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)'' praised the film, calling Demi Moore's role as "kind of calm", "attractive", as well as "dialed-down" and "capable woman".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/happy-tears-2010|last=Ebert|first=Roger|authorlink=Roger Ebert|website=[RogerEbert.com](/source/RogerEbert.com)|title=Happy Tears|date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.happytears.net/}}
*{{IMDb title|1219828}}

Category:2009 comedy-drama films
Category:American independent films
Category:Films shot in Pennsylvania
Category:Roadside Attractions films
Category:American comedy-drama films
Category:2009 independent films
Category:2009 films
Category:Films about father–daughter relationships
Category:Films about sisters
Category:2009 English-language films
Category:2009 American films
Category:English-language comedy-drama films
Category:English-language independent films
Category:Films scored by Robert Miller

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Happy Tears](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Tears) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Tears?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.