Not Another Happy Ending (DVD) Review
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Karen Gillan stars in a film where a happy ending isn’t necessarily a given. As Not Another Happy Ending begins, the viewers are introduced to aspiring author Jane Lockhart, who has been trying rather unsuccessfully to sell her finished novel, a shamelessly autobiographical tale with a drearily depressing title. Jane herself comes across as a […]
Karen Gillan stars in a film where a happy ending isn’t necessarily a given.
As Not Another Happy Ending begins, the viewers are introduced to aspiring author Jane Lockhart, who has been trying rather unsuccessfully to sell her finished novel, a shamelessly autobiographical tale with a drearily depressing title. Jane herself comes across as a somewhat ditzy but lovable hipster author who is in love with her art. When Jane’s book is finally picked up by a small publisher – a handsome but abrasive Frenchman who puts in a lot of work and time with Jane as they edit her novel into something sellable. Naturally, as the two work together, feelings begin to form.
I know what you’re thinking – that sounds vaguely like the formula for every romantic comedy ever (and it is), but here’s the kicker – all that happens in about the first ten minutes of the film. The true story begins after Jane’s book is published – to resounding success – and the two have a falling out. They now hate each other, over a silly argument, and can’t wait to get through the two books they are contracted to work on, so both can move on to better things. The problem? Jane has writer’s block. Her handsome publisher, after deciding Jane writes best when miserable, decides to sneakily turn her now happy life into a sad, dreary thing in order to help her write (and of course, fall in love with her along the way).
It’s a good premise – it really is. It’s somewhat lighthearted and silly, but provides plenty of opportunity for laughs (writing in the nude, anyone?) and grief (a concurrent story line involving her estranged father). The problem is, the film rushes you through the beginning with a montage of the two of them getting to know each and editing the book, with hardly any speech to speak of, and then goes right into the huge argument without really establishing why Jane would react in such a dramatic way.
There just isn’t the time put into making viewers get to know (and like or hate) the characters before rushing them into the next facet of their story. You don’t understand them as people and so it makes it hard to care as much as you should what happens to them. Add in a somewhat bizarre imaginary character who adds little to the overall story and you have a film that is somewhat of a disappointment, though it does offer some interesting moments and easy laughs.
Not Another Happy Ending is a romantic comedy that has an interesting premise and some well played characters. Unfortunately, the way the story plays out simply doesn’t fulfill that potential as it should have, though it does offer an amusing hour and a half to those willing to overlook it.