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Movies / On DVD / Happy, Texas
Happy, Texas

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Happy, Texas (1999)

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Reviews Counted:49

Fresh:40

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: A smart, light-hearted romantic comedy, Happy, Texas uses its well-written script and exceptional cast to prove there's still life left in the fish-out-of-water caper genre.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) are two escaped convicts who find themselves in Happy, Texas. When they are mistaken for a gay couple who are in town to host a local beauty... Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) are two escaped convicts who find themselves in Happy, Texas. When they are mistaken for a gay couple who are in town to host a local beauty pageant, they use the opportunity to slip into character and avoid the authorities. Obviously, the bumbling, heterosexual criminals don't have a clue as to what they're doing, and when romance appears in the form of a distraught banker (Walker) and a tacky teacher (Douglas), their real personas threaten to emerge and blow their cover. Zahn's hysterical performance won him a Special Jury Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. [More]

Starring: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker

Starring: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, M.C. Gainey, Ron Perlman, Paul Dooley, Tim Bagley, Michael Hitchcock, Mo Gaffney

Director: Mark Illsley

Director: Mark Illsley
Screenwriter: Mark Illsley, Phil Reeves, Ed Stone
Producer: Mark Illsley, Rick Montgomery, Ed Stone
Composer: Peter Harris

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Happy, Texas

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...although it reverts to slapstick for its set-piece chase finale, for most of its length Mark Illsley's debut film offers an unexpectedly gentle, even sentimental comedy of sexual identities...

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Philip Kemp
Philip Kemp
Sight and Sound

Happy, Texas is a light, breezy and very amusing comedy.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob McCabe
Bob McCabe
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Uneven in places but with a few choice hilarious moments, it is well worth the rental.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Emma Cochrane
Emma Cochrane
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Every bit as cheery as the title implies--but good will can only go so far.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/03/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Steve Zahn shines in Illsley's feature debut, elevating this eccentric small-town comedy two notches above the level of writing. Using the fish out of water format, this Sundance premiere begins well but then declines rapidly.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/29/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

first-time filmmaker Illsley displays a surprisingly firm yet gentle hand with both his script and his enormously appealing cast.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
11/14/05
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/21/04
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Odd couple buddy picture with Rom-Com elements that work. Zhan gives one of his most hysterical performances to date. Lighthearted, watchable, and fun.

comment Comment
03/25/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

The set-up is so strong that it's impressive to see it progress so effortlessly.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Film Threat

Very, very, tears-rolling-down-your-face funny.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Merle Bertrand
Merle Bertrand
Film Threat

Bank-robbery/beauty-pageant caper is sweet, silly fun.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

A charming fish-out-of-water romantic comedy, the modestly budgeted Happy, Texas more than makes up in heart what it lacks in splash.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
09/18/02
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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