Happiness sets the all too common loneliness people feel against an uncommon backdrop of depravity and taboo. At least we normally believe depravity and taboo don’t play a part in our daily life while in reality it could well go on behind the scenes in the lives around us. That is what the movie does, it scrapes away the happy veneer protecting its characters from exposure to the truth behind the façade of “normal” life. About 10 different characters’ stories are touched upon throughout the movie, but the film centers specifically on three sisters. One sister, Joy is a sweet struggling musician, always being screwed over by men and life yet she still possessing a naïve sense of optimism. Her sister Helen is a beautiful and well-known author who socializes with famous people and beds gorgeous men yet still feels hollow inside. Like she tells the third sister, Trish, “I feel nobody's really honest with me. Nobody wants me for me.” As for Trish, she is a suburban homemaker raising two sons, Billy and Timmy while her husband, Bill, is a psychiatrist who also happens to be a pedophile. It’s a fact revealed right from the start, so nothing is spoiled by mentioning it here.

Solondz has created a kind of Bizzaro Leave It To Beaver world with pleasant music, white picket fences and the familiar indicators of generic happiness and success that we soon discover are only the surface of a perverse reality. For example, instead of the Beav asking Ward for help with his homework or how to ride his bike, little Billy and his father have heart to heart talks about “what is cum” among other things. Portrayed with beautiful sincerity these scenes are brilliantly written dark comedic moments.

As the ironically titled film begins, Solondz introduces us to the players. As each scene passes, you can’t help but laugh and squirm at the sometimes shocking nature of the characters. That is exactly what you are supposed to do. Although the characters are extreme, they remain believable. Solondz walks up to that line where dark comedy becomes farce but never crosses it. In fact, what shocked me was that halfway through the film I stopped being shocked at all anymore. The sudden “normalcy” of it all, freaked me out the most, which I think is the point. The film made a big splash when it premiered on the film festival circuit.

Nevertheless, some people were offended by its cavalier seemingly nonchalant approach to certain serious subjects, obviously missing the point. Maybe what scared them is the fact that even depraved behavior seems less abnormal when treated as something taken for granted as typical and commonplace. We can relate to one or more of these characters in some way because while some of them might seem exaggerated cases, they are undeniably human as we all are, easy recognition of which leaves us rather uneasy. In fact, being able to reveal an unnatural lie as a simple natural truth populated by easily relatable characters is what makes this film such a brilliant dark comedy.