Happy, Texas (1999)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Waste of time

Excellent but underrated film

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Happy Texas is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It has laughs, suspense, kindness and intelligence. The acting and inter-personal dynamics are excellent. Besides the stellar performances by everyone in the cast, I think special mention should go to Ally Walker as Josephine McClintock. The scene at her house, where she and Jeremy Northam's character are painting props, and all of the scenes between her and him, are extremely well-done. Harry Sawyer's reserved, rather civilized demeanor somehow works well with Wayne Wayne Jr.'s outspokenness and physical aggressiveness. The re-introduction of Bob Maslow was done at a perfect time, and that is an unexpected twist in the plot. I appreciated many things about the ending scene at the prison performance by the Happy Girls: Doreen and Wayne still wanted each other. Josephine and Harry still had a chance at a (delayed) reunion. Harry could be out in under two years. The girls' performance of What's So Great About Love (complete with the spastic moves Wayne taught them) was excellent. I love how the movie was filmed in big, bright colors with lots of outdoor scenes: None of the morose, ashen tones that are prevalent today. The soundtrack is great. Some of the best scenes are between Northam and Walker: Jo: "I haven't had a girlfriend in a really long time..."Harry: "Neither have I." (him having been in prison)Jo: "That's funny." (thinking he is referring to his gayness).and...Jo (yelling from tow truck): "What are you doing?"Harry: "I'm trying to save you!"Jo: Well stop! I'm trying to save you! If i don't kill you, first...Steve Zahn should have won an Oscar for his performance. "Remember to keep the beat!"I have watched Happy, Texas many times and it always "brings em' back alive".

Happy, Texas is a laugh out loud comedy starring Wayne Northam, Steve Zahn, William H. Macy, Ally Walker and Ileana Douglas.Northam is Harry and Zahn is Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr., both convicts who escape from a crashed van with another convict. The third convict takes off. Harry and Wayne steal a trailer, and then are mistaken for the owners, two gay guys, Steve and David, who are to put together a beauty pageant in Happy, Texas. Deciding to combine their pageant work with robbing the local bank and skipping town, David (Zahn) and Steve (Northam) are surprised to find out that the it's a kids' beauty pageant. Wayne gets stuck getting the girls ready, while Harry befriends the bank owner Jo (Walker) so he can get the keys to the bank and any information he needs.Since the guys aren't gay, Steve finds himself falling for Jo and David gets involved with Doreen (Douglas), the kids' teacher.There are some unforeseen consequences, one of which is that the sheriff Chappy (Macy) is gay and declares his love for Steve. Then the third convict shows up.Very, very funny premise and a very funny script by Ed Stone, Mark Illsey, and Phil Reeves, with Illsey giving brisk direction, Happy Texas is funny, sweet, and crazy. Unlike many comedies today, it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator with crudeness.Very enjoyable, with Macy's crying jag the funniest thing in the movie, or maybe Steve Zahn preparing choreography for the girls is the best. Hard to decide. See it for yourself.

I was just watching this the other day and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I had finished watching something else on the same channel and couldn't get up the energy to change it - there was nothing on that peaked my interest. The plot synopsis didn't do much to encourage me but once I got into it I couldn't stop watching. It was a sleeper kind of movie, like Encino Man or Happy Gilmore, kind of sneaking up on you with the humor.I love William H. Macy as an actor and seeing him in this role just confirmed for me why I enjoy him so much. Excellent performance by Steve Zahn as well, and a nice cameo for Ron Pearlman.Comparing this to the awful remake of We're No Angels with a cast of heavy Hollywood superstars several years back, this is a much more worthy effort. Considering the talent involved, I would have to blame the writing.

Happy, Texas, is a small whose motto could be "Tolerance". How else justify the hiring of a gay couple pageant organizers and not have the local population bash this odd duo that is going to transform the little girls competing for the title of Litte Miss Squeezed? One would only expect that Happy, Texas is a bright spot in the Southwest where gays are welcomed with open arms! A pair of convicts, Wayne Wayne Wayne and Harry Sawyer, are lucky to be in an highway accident where the van that is transporting them overturns. The duo steal the RV, they happen to see in a shopping area. It turns out the vehicle belong to the real gay men who go around the country preparing little girls for this important event in their lives, and they decide not to report it to the police.As it turns out, Happy, Texas, welcomes them with open arms, or so it seems. The local sheriff, Chappy Dent, of all people, is a man struggling with his own sexual identity. Wayne is put in charge of the training of the girls for the pageant. Harry sees an angle in the local bank that shows a lack of security; it's the perfect target for a robbery.When all it's said and done, "Happy, Texas" misses opportunities, when the pageant takes second place to a car chase. Director Mark Illsley, who contributed to the screen play, probably had great ideas going for the film, which ultimately fizzled out. Best thing in the film is Steve Zahn's Wayne, a man who can't carry a tune. Jeremy Northam, an actor more at home playing dramatic roles, makes a surprising Harry, which shows his range. The wonderful William H. Macy appears as the mixed up sheriff Chappy Dent. Mr. Macy and Mr. Northam are hilarious doing the two-step at the local gay bar. Others in the film, Paul Dooley, Mo Gaffney, Ileana Douglas, and Ally Walker.