By: debbie lynn elias
It has been a pleasure of late to stumble upon little theatrical gems that are joyous, uplifting, hopeful and well, let’s face it, happy. One such gem, HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE, is compliments of writer/director Josh Radnor. An absolute charmer, HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE is filled with heart and joy on so many levels that it is very uplifting, very hopeful. There is this great simplicity to each “individual” character story and the connective tissue between those stories, all of which boils down to growing up and how you deal with the newfound realization that you can’t screw around with your life anymore. There is something relatable in every character Radnor created that can serve as a connective touchstone for every demographic. The one word that keeps jumping to mind about happythankyoumoreplease is HAPPY. This is a happy film. It puts a smile on your heart to match the one you get on your face while watching and at films end, has you saying happy-thank you- more, please!
Sam is your average downtrodden struggling writer. Pouring his heart and soul into his literary works, he has faced rejection at every turn, but, today he has his eye on the prize – a meeting with uber publisher Paul Gertmanian. Wanting the day to go perfectly and his meeting even more perfectly, Sam has dressed and redressed, prepped and re-prepped, combed and re-combed, and even made certain to leave the house early enough to be on time. But, as the adage goes, the best laid plans of mice and men…. And as Sam is riding the subway he is suddenly faced with his plans going very awry when he sees a young boy whom he believes to have been separated from his mother. Oh what to do, what to do. Leave the kid or go to the meeting? Take the kid and find his mother? And the kid won’t even tell Sam his name. Through a comedy of errors, Sam ends up at the meeting with boy in tow, only to be laughed out of the office by Gertmanian. Great. The day just keeps going downhill. Good news is that the boy was chatty with a secretary who got him talking and learned that his name is Rasheen. Not knowing what to do, Sam takes the boy home with him, but along the way, sees something that perks up his heart – Mississippi, a beautiful red-headed waitress in a local bar.
Once home, Sam and Rasheen begin an interesting bonding process as Rasheen meets Sam’s friends, all of whom try to rationalize with Sam about “returning” Rasheen to the authorities. Already developing a strong bond with Rasheen, Sam’s heart goes out to him on learning Rasheen has been in six foster homes, the last of which he had just run away from when Sam found him. Impulsively, Sam wants Rasheen to live with him, delaying the inevitable.
In the meantime, Sam does what he does best, be a stalwart and stand-up friend to all of his friends who are going through their own crises – Annie, who suffers from alopecia which renders her hairless, is vacillating between bad boyfriends while denying attention to a nerdy guy at work named Sam #2 (after all, Sam is her best friend and first Sam) who loves her just the way she is; Charlie has just returned to NYC from California with a mindset to pack up and move there permanently, only to be met with heavy resistance from his whiney demanding girlfriend, Mary Catherine; and then there’s Mississippi, who has entered Sam’s life after a series of hurtful boyfriends and who is now playing house with he and Rasheen for 3 days.
It is through these friends and Rasheen that not only Sam’s life, but each of their lives, begin to change. Whether it’s for better or worse, is for you to see for yourself.
Kate Mara just lights up the screen. As Mississippi, she is luminous; timing and delivery is impeccable and nuanced. And yes folks, that is Mara singing some incredible torch songs in a smokey little club. But, then toss in Josh Radnor’s Sam who is likeable beyond likeable. He’s like a puppy dog you just can’t push away and just want to love and encourage. Put Mara and Radnor together and they are an onscreen match made in heaven. They compliment each other beautifully in terms of visual appearance and vocal style. There is a flow between them that has you rooting for their characters to succeed individually and as a couple. I would love to see Mara and Radnor pair up again in something.
The real scene and heart stealer is Michael Algieri. OMG! Cute, cute, cute and precious. (And let me tell you, when I interviewed Michael, a perfect polite little gentleman as well!) He gives this great inner intensity and spirit to Rasheen that is fascinating to watch unfold. You wonder what’s going on with the wheels in his head. And paired with Radnor, there is this great big kid-little kid chemistry going on that just warms the heart and makes you smile. You can’t help but smile seeing these two together.
Pablo Schreiber brings a great innocence and “rose colored glasses” sensibility to Charlie that is tinged with adulthood and “moving on” in life. Watching Charlie’s metamorphosis from his opening shot on PCH to a return to NYC and Zoe Kazan’s Mary Catherine was interesting. Subtle and enjoyable. The one casting annoyance was Zoe Kazan. Her Mary Catherine was just so annoying through the entire film. Either Kazan, or her take on the character, just never gelled when put with any other actor or character.
Malin Ackerman finally gets a meaty part and she takes full advantage of it here. As Annie, she glows and radiates energy. Ackerman is the wind that buoys the positive energy of the story. And Tony Hale as the nerdy Sam #2 courting Annie is just a gem.
I was surprised to learn that HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE is Josh Radnor’s debut as a writer and director. Calling on inspiration from people and events in his own life, he has created affecting characters and a story that consists of a wonderful balance of honest emotion and humor. Juggling multiple storylines that are so well structured each could stand on its own as a vignette, Radnor smoothly and seamlessly connects the dots into a cohesive blend. My one note would be to possibly eliminate one of the storylines – that of Charlie and Mary Catherine – which was more peripheral to the central plots of Sam-Rasheen-Mississippi-Annie.
Nabbing Seamus Tierney as cinematographer was a stroke of genius. Tierney excels at creating these small intimate settings with lensing and interesting camera angles that only add to the emotional palette of the film. Here, lighting truly mirrored the personalities of the players and their homes. Camera angles came into great play in scenes with Radnor and Algieri lending to several POV’s and perspectives.
Production Designer Jade Healy really got a work out with the eclectic styles of each character and the design did much to help establish the tone and mindset of each individual with just a glance.
As a first time writer/director, Josh Radnor just blows me out of the water with HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE. If this is any indication of his mindset and the type of films we can expect to see in the future, the indie film world is in very good hands. His characters are real and relatable; reactions and interactions ring true, but then he gives everything this very uplifting and upbeat tone that is so welcome and so refreshing.
Come on get happy! And go get yourself loved with HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE. At film’s end you will find yourself saying what I did – happy-thank you- more, please!
Sam – Josh Radnor
Mississippi – Kate Mara
Annie – Malin Ackerman
Rasheen – Michael Algieri
Paul Gertmanian – Richard Jenkins
Written and directed by Josh Radnor.
