Happy Ever Afters (2009)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Maura (Sally Hawkins) is an Irish single mother to Molly (Sinead Maguire), a bright and energetic twelve year old. But, alas, times are not good and Maura is losing her furniture and, perhaps, her lease as money has dried up. Therefore, Maura enters into a fake marriage agreement with African immigrant Wilson (Ariyon Bakare). He will get to stay in the country; he will pay Maura 9,000. Also getting married for the second time is Freddie (Tom Riley) and Sophie (Jade Yurell), resulting in much apprehension; are they really doing the right thing? As luck would have it, these two couples take part in a dual marriage ceremony and hold receptions in the same building. Also on hand are a bevy of mixed up guests, parents, and, ho ho, two immigration officers who doubt Maura's wedding is real. As Maura crosses paths with Freddie, a lot, and Wilson tries to pass his girlfriend off as his sister, poor Molly gets more and more fed up as she realizes she's not getting a new dad, not really. How will this all shake down? This great Irish comedy-farce has charms for most fans of laughter and romance. Hawkins, Riley, Bakare, Yurell, and especially Maguire give fine performances while the supporting cast will keep everyone in stitches. How lilting, too, is the Irish way of speaking English while sets, costumes, script and direction fulfill every expectation of quality. Hallelujah, wanna get happy? Happily Ever Afters is bound to please.

In the years after September 11 2001 the world, its peoples its institutions its joys its arts, went into meltdown. unable to to see a clear future,people governments artist & film makers alike fumbled in the ash cloud of broken dreams and shattered ideologies, in the attempt of re-councling the shards of faith and hope and humanity, still left on this lonely planet. Few films clam as much responsibility for assembling so many parts of our broken society as this.happily ever afters is story of many parts.some are sharp and painful to touch (or even to look at) some more, colourful and hilarious. what this film (or piece of art) is, is a gathering of these seemingly ill-fitting and disparate pieces and a transformation of them into a cathedral window. A beautiful whole, made from broken shards,fitted together with the honesty of the artist lead.It is no coincidence that this film debuted in the same year that Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the United States of American having run his campaign under the banner of 'hope'.the world was ready for change and the time for change is felt by true leaders and artist. like Barack Obama this film may not heal our tired and battered souls and shelter us from the hard rain but it sure as heaven can gives us hope!PS:it should have got an Oscar, and i don't think it was even nominated.peace and love

I rented this last night to watch with my partner and mother-in-law.It is utter rubbish. From the corny music, to the very poorly executed 'comedy of errors' acting/editing, to the completely disengaging male lead (he spends a good deal of the film sighing and fumbling for words, but not in a well timed way) this film is completely egregious from beginning until about 20 minutes in when we turned it off and watched 'Everybody's Fine' instead (which by the way, is amazing). We rented this from our Apple TV, and at one point I did consider penning an email to Steve Jobs to outline my disgust at it being added to the line-up on there.

Whatever one's cinema tastes are, I think it is impossible not to appreciate this movie, marked by that sound Irish feeling for sound fun, but never disregarding some serious reflections. Two odd, newly married couples find at the same restaurant for their wedding receptions, where things will get confused, giving rise to misunderstandings, crises and final catharses. One couple is made up by Sally, in desperate need for money for her and her daughter, who has married Wilfred, a black man, in need of a citizenship, the other is the marriage between Freddie who has married who had already been his former wife, Sophie, and after a divorce and some psychoanalysis went to the altar for the second time, as a sort of last chance, with good intentions but no convictions. It s an intelligent movie, in the way it poses some questions on the real nature of marriage: despite the two major stories, also the minor characters will gradually question their relations and the meaning of their lives, and the hours spent in that restaurant will be revealing. It is interesting in the way, in the end women make the definite and resolute decisions, knowing they have to come to terms with their destiny with courage and strength, even if without a man, even against family pressure, whereas men never show any single sign of courage and determination, and just act according to women's choices. There are also some moving, but never pathetic moments, to be enjoyed as truly genuine. And the girl playing the little daughter, acting as a trait d'union between all these interrupted souls, is great. This movie proves how a well cast (both main characters and secondary ones) together with an intelligent script can make out an intelligent product, although not original in content, but certainly worth seeing as feel-good, genuinely entertaining and honest.