HAPPY TEARS

US, 2009, 95 minutes, Colour.
Parker Posey, Demi Moore, Rip Torn, Ellen Barkin.
Directed by Mitchell Lichenstein.

Who's mad? Who's not mad? Most of the characters in Happy Tears could raise their hands – in the affirmative.

Dysfunctional families can be amusing to watch or they can be just as irritating to the audiences as they are to each other. This gallery is irritating, has moments of quirkiness, many more moments of absurdity and limited redeeming features.

The focus is on Jayne (Parker Posey), neurotic, not averse to drugs, married into a San Francisco wealthy art family, wanting a child, cocooned by her older, protective sister, Laura (Demi Moore) from knowing the uglier side of her growing up. Laura is the common-sensed sister, in Pittsburg, caring for their deteriorating father (Rip Torn), a most unlikeable man. Jayne has to learn the truth about her father but the writing by director Mitchell Lichenstein (Teeth) does not provide Parker Posey opportunities to create a credible or consistent (even in oddness) character. Sometimes sensible, sometimes ditzy, always wilful.

Then there is Ellen Barkin as a caricature of a down-at-heels, crackhead prostitute who likes the father but is after his money and a place to stary.

Depending on frustration tolerance for the family and how they interest an audiences, this is a hit and miss experience.

1.An American quirky comedy, dysfunctional family?

2.The Pittsburgh settings, the suburbs, the house, hospitals? The contrast with San Francisco and the art world, boutique shops?

3.The title, the reference to Jackson’s comment about happy tears, the relevance to the other characters?

4.Happiness and sadness? Lies, truth, honesty?

5.The focus on Jayne: her initial lies, about going to the airport, buying the boots, the price, her imagining the salesman as a monster? Her memories of meeting Jackson, the art, his asking her to stay? Their talk?

6.Laura and her exasperation, the older sister, taking care of the father, his illness, her reactions to Jayne, the boots, love and irritation? Cleaning Joe with the hose? His confusion? Jayne’s reaction, always bright, Laura and her planning to go, Jayne testing her patience? Laura and her marriage to Laurent, her children?

7.Joe, his age, his past with the music, his career stopped at fourteen, his sexual encounters, the range of women, his love for his wife, always referring to her? His response to his daughters? The talk of treasure hidden in the field, their digging up and finding the dog’s corpse with the quotation from the film The Mummy? His relationship with Shelly, believing her, defending her? Not wanting to go to a home? His irritations, the car crash, in hospital, with the nurses, the sale of the house? Going to the home and flirting with the nurse?

8.Shelly, her drugs, an opportunist, rough, her gross eating, wearing the stethoscope, her chatter? The plain talk with Jayne? Stealing, coming back into the empty house?

9.Jayne and her being pampered, her husband and his neuroses, the world of art, management? Worrying? Jackson and his cutting his hand, the blood on the painting? Having plenty of money? Jackson going to the institution? Not wanting a child? Jayne and believing all the untruths about her father? Her reaction to digging up the dead dog? Her believing in the treasure? Not knowing about her father’s women? Driving the car, going through the field, the crash? Hospital? Organising the sale, the neighbours and their getting the goods? Ray and the digging, his coming into the house, the drugs, the sex, the swimming and jellyfish fantasy? Her pregnancy, fulfilment for her? The actual treasure? Joe digging it up and giving it to his daughters?

10.Laura at home, Laura and the massage, the children?

11.The antique dealer, buying the cabinet and the vase – and on television? The relative merits of possessions?

12.The visit to their mother’s grave? The family reunion, the meal – happy or sad? A future?