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 don’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!
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Three prisoners on a chain gang find themselves on the loose when their prison van overturns to avoid hitting an armadillo. Two of them–Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, The Winslow Boy) and Steve Zahn (Out of Sight, That Thing You Do!)–steal an RV that turns out to belong to two junior-beauty-pageant promoters on their way to organize a pageant in Happy, Texas. When Northam and Zahn find themselves stuck in Happy, their only option is to follow through with their masquerade and put on the pageant. Unfortunately, the promoters are known to be gay, which complicates matters when both men find themselves attracted to local women–Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart, Cape Fear) and Ally Walker (While You Were Sleeping, TV’s Profiler). The cast is uniformly entertaining, but it’s William H. Macy (Fargo, Pleasantville) who really steals the show as the town sheriff with a secret of his own. Happy, Texas was an audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival but didn’t do as well in wide release, probably because viewers expected a nonstop farce. But though the movie is a comedy, and a very funny one, its humor springs more from nuances of character than broad wackiness. The situations are a little predictable, but the performers–especially Macy–give it zest and genuine feeling. –Bret Fetzer
A Ming Vase – that is a WyoMing Vase What a delightful movie. I heard about this when it was released at the theatre and I was expecting something quirky and zany. It is testament to the direction of Illsley and to the great acting that the story is really brought to life.
Small Texas Town Lives Up To Its Name Happy Texas is one of the greatest comedies you’ve probably never heard of. Shot in just 29 days on a shoestring budget, this film’s acting, directing, script and comedic timing are so clever and incisive that it has attracted an almost cult following, especially among Steve Zahn fans.There are plots within plots that all pull together in the end to make a perfect film. Starting with escaped convicts (Wayne Wayne Wayne played by Steve Zahn and Harry Sawyer played by Jeremy Northam) who have to hide and steal an RV belonging to two gay pageant designers, to discovering the gay lifestyle in a small Texas community (Happy), to finding love in the arms of a doe-eyed banker (Ally Walker …sorry for the cliche, but she really does have doe-eyes), this movie hits on all aspects of life and puts a hilarious spin on them.The greatest things about this film were Steve Zahn’s acting while trying to teach pre-teen girls how to dance, and William H. Macy’s stunning performance as Happy’s town sheriff who comes out of the closet.Always sharp, incredibly funny, superbly paced, this movie’s small budget belies its excellent acting and directing.Few films will tickle your funny bone as perfectly as HAPPY TEXAS. Watch it. Buy it. Live it!
Happy Texas I ‘d passed this movie on the shelves of movie rental stores for some time now and I just want to kick myself for not renting it sooner. After I saw this movie, I just had to have it for my movie collection. The box cover isn’t a natural “attention grabber”, but don’t underestimate this movie’s quality because of that. Happy Texas packs tons of laughs. This movie was well put together and the story line is definitely unique. Steve Zahn is one hilarious character. The scene where he tries to teach a group of young girls how to dance for a local children’s pageant makes Happy Texas worth buying in itself. There’s plenty more to this gutbusting comedy, but I’ll let you judge for yourself. I think you’ll find this one handsdown, ‘No Contest’. And remember….” the light is green!” Check this one out!