Happy, Texas
They need pros. They're getting cons.
Popular stars Steve Zahn (Forces Of Nature, You've Got Mail, Out Of Sight), Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, Mimic) and William H. Macy (Mystery Men, A Civil Action, Fargo) enliven a hilarious comedy where a case of mistaken identity leads to a beauty of a con game! When escaped convicts Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne, Jr. (Zahn) are pulled over in the town of Happy, Texas...while driving a stolen Winnebago...they think they're being arrested. Rather, they're immediately welcomed as the vehicle's owners: a gay couple who've come to orchestrate the "Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pre-Teen" beauty pageant! Not ones to let a good con pass them by, the pair doesn't hesitate to adopt flamboyant new personalities...and quickly meet with outrageously unpredictable consequences! With a great cast of stars playing an unusually offbeat collection of characters -- you'll be more than happy you picked up this laugh-out-loud comedy treat!
Member Reviews
Something Just not right - JudoKitten
There's something just a wee bit creepy about Happy, Texas. If it were just about a pair of escaped convicts forced to pretend to be a gay couple, or just about escaped convicts tutoring little girls, or just about little girls on display for the pleasure of grown-ups, maybe I could deal. Or if it stayed all these things but were more bizarro than it is, maybe I could deal. But Happy, Texas wraps all its concepts up in a package that's undistorted and unironic enough that it just doesn't sit right with me.
Harry Sawyer (Jeremy Northam: An Ideal Husband, Mimic) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Steve Zahn: You've Got Mail, Out of Sight) -- that name is the movie's cleverest joke -- are convicts on the run after a lucky chain-gang escape. They steal an RV from a convenience-store parking lot, which lands them knee-deep in the middle of a mistaken-identity sitcom: in extremely contrived manner, they get shanghaied into the town that is expecting the owners of the RV. Turns out the denizens of Happy, Texas -- "the town without a frown" -- think Harry and Wayne are Steve and David, roving producers of kiddie pageants the town has hired. Oh, and Steve and David are gay lovers. Let the hilarity ensue.
Except it doesn't. The script, written by Ed Stone and Mark Illsley (the film is directed by Illsley), feels... assembled. Every sitcom-ish plot twist is perfectly arranged for maximum "amusement" value, and characters react to it all as suits the manipulated plot, not their own characters. An example: Harry shoves all the duties of producing the Little Miss Fresh Squeezed pageant off to a terrified Wayne. Happy might as well be the town without a brain, however, because one wonders what is going through the minds of these people when it becomes patently obvious that not only does Wayne have no clue what he's doing, he is actually frightening all the little girls he's supposed to be coaching. Likewise, Wayne's overnight transformation into a man devoteOne of those Hidden Gems! - laptophound
Released 10 years ago (1999), Happy Texas is a pleasantly surprising indie comedy that most people likely haven't seen. In the spirit of Raising Arizona and Fargo, Happy Texas is full of memorable moments.
This movie is the reason I became a fan of Steven Zhan's comedy. Although he has been in a few other films, usually as the sidekick, Happy Texas remains his best work.
This film doesn't get the big budget treatment or high tech special effects, and the humour is more geared towards the 20+ age group. But if you are looking to add a few more films to your ziplist then go ahead, add this one, it won't disappoint!Worth A Look! - AJay
I couldn't believe that this movie was ten years old by the time I saw it...it holds up remarkably well for the genre. Sure, there are some cliched bits, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise and not so predictable as these comedies can be. The gay themes are handled well, adding to, but not overwhelming, the comedic tension and storyline.
William H. Macy is excellent--his awkward smiling and shyness capture something we don't often get to see in male characters on-screen. Steve Zahn plays his character so well that at the beginning of the movie I wasn't sure where the comedy could go because he was so intense in his craziness. Jeremy Northam is wonderful on screen (see him on The Tudors if you get a chance.)
Member Reviews
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Something Just not right - JudoKitten
There's something just a wee bit creepy about Happy, Texas. If it were just about a pair of escaped convicts forced to pretend to be a gay couple, or just about escaped convicts tutoring little girls, or just about little girls on display for the pleasure ...One of those Hidden Gems! - laptophound
Released 10 years ago (1999), Happy Texas is a pleasantly surprising indie comedy that most people likely haven't seen. In the spirit of Raising Arizona and Fargo, Happy Texas is full of memorable moments.
This movie is the reason I became a fan of ...Worth A Look! - AJay
I couldn't believe that this movie was ten years old by the time I saw it...it holds up remarkably well for the genre. Sure, there are some cliched bits, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise and not so predictable as these comedies can be. The gay ...