Review: “All Happy Families
By Morgan Roberts
Director: Haroula Rose
Writers: Coburn Goss and Haroula Rose
Stars: Josh Radnor, Chandra Russell, Rob Huebel, Becky Ann Baker, John Ashton, Ivy O’Brien, and Liz Cardenas
Runtime: 1h 30 min
Year: 2024
Families are sometimes messy, sometimes delightful, and we all have some version of a family. Whether they are blood related relatives, marriage into a family, or chosen family, we all experience the highs and lows of our interpersonal relationships with our family members. In her latest film, “All Happy Families,” Haroula Rose explores one family as the navigate the crossroads they find themselves at.
Graham Landry (Josh Radnor) prepares to rent out a unit in his childhood home. A struggling actor and writer, he’s hoping his new screenplay will be his big break. As he preps the home, his first interested tenant is Dana (Chandra Russell), Graham’s college crush. But this reunion is further complicated for Graham when his brother Will (Rob Huebel) returns to the family home. Will, an actor, is facing accusations of sexual harassment on the set of his television show. Family tensions further arise when parents Sue (Becky Ann Baker) and Roy (John Ashton) arrive to see their sons.
The film masterfully gives voice to each of its characters, never detracting from the from one story arch in order to uplift another. The male characters of this film are refreshing. Graham, our introduction into this story, is a tremendously layered character. When we meet Graham, he appears stuck. He knows what he wants out of life, but struggles to make tangible changes to move himself forward. He also tends to have similar characteristics to his mother, Sue. He values his relationships and is willing to do the emotional labor to maintain those relationships. His main source of inner conflict is his self-sabotaging nature. It is refreshing to see our central male character have these layers.
Additionally, with Will and his serious allegations, the film never minimizes the weight of those actions, while not making Will completely villainous. He is complicated. Moreover, there is a resounding sense of disappointment and accountability towards Will in a way that ensures the conflict is not a “did he or did he not” harass his coworker, but more of a struggle to understand how to move forward. It is one of the most tactful depictions of this in film.
While the male characters are given a lot of nuance, the female characters are equally cared for in the film. Sue not only retires from her job but is sexually harassed as she’s leaving the workforce. Not only does she have to grapple with the changes that come with retiring, what that means for her marriage, her sense of self, but she enters what should be a celebratory period being violated by her former boss. It is incredibly relevant to the female experience, and some of the most memorable scenes are Sue confiding in her female friend group of what happened to her, then seeing this group rally to support Sue in this moment.
Meanwhile, Dana frequently serves as our audience surrogate, experiencing this family with us while being on her own journey. Dana is starting anew as she navigates her culinary workplace somewhat recently sober. While she might not be entrenched in this family (yet!), she certainly orbits their universe, bringing her own authentic experiences with her.
At just 90 minutes, the film impressively manages to bring all of these characters to life while sincerely touching on heavy subjects. It never loses the weight of what it is discussing including Roy’s gambling addiction or Evie’s (Ivy O’Brien) coming out story as a transgender woman, but it allows for heart to remain. We have moments where we can share in laughter with the family, or cheer for these characters to succeed. This is largely due to the impeccable script from Rose and co-writer Coburn Goss. The screenplay never doubts the intelligence of its audience and literally plops you into the story. You can pick up on context clues and use your own emotions to gauge where the characters are.
It also doesn’t hurt that the cast feels so effortlessly close. You can understand these characters through their interactions. Everyone feels at the top of their game. They somehow make the craft of acting look easy. And while you can assume having a good script helps an actor in the first place, the way the cast was able to grab hold and go along for the ride with these characters is a testament to how in tune they were with the material.
“All Happy Families” succeeds by having believable, authentic characters shepherding us through this story. Rose’s keen interest in humanity and genuineness keeps this film grounded and effortlessly breezy. In such a short time, the film manages to hook you in and wish you could stay with the Landry family indefinitely.
Grade: A
Pair This Film With: “In the Summers” (2024) dir. Alessandra Lacorazza; “Outside In” (2017) dir. Lynn Shelton; “The Savages” (2007) dir. Tamara Jenkins
If you’d like to spend time with the Landry family, “All Happy Families” is available to rent or own on VOD, and you can physically own the film on DVD.