This Is Happening (2015)
THIS IS HAPPENING tells the story of an estranged brother and sister (played by James Wolk and Mickey Sumner) forced to go on the road together to track down their fugitive grandmother (Cloris Leachman). What begins as a comedic tale of a broken family forced to come together under the pressures of an absentee father (Judd Nelson) evolves into a journey about learning to find your family in order to find yourself. Directed by: Ryan Jaffe Starring: Cloris Leachman, Mickey Sumner, James Wolk, Judd Nelson
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Good concept, poorly executed.
A Masterpiece!
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
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.
They really felt like family to me on this wayward life changing roadtrip.
*** (SMALL) SPOILER ALERT***I think there is a reason why so few people have seen/rated this film. The dialogue is awful (and rarely funny when it aims to be), the character motivations are confusing, the relationships between characters (and other stuff) is very unbelievable. Cloris Leachman is good, Judd Nelson is basically a no-show. Sister Megan is extremely annoying...her brother is slightly easier to take.The worst part of the film is the sheer incompetence. One example only: Philip and Megan's mother is dead. Megan blames herself for it, while Philip tells her that no one blames her for it. We learn very little about the mother, but we find out (in a short scene) that she died of an aneurysm while she and Megan were playing tennis. That's it. WHY WHY WHY would Megan blame herself? And Philip's response to her should be "that doesn't make sense - it had zero to do with you". I think you're supposed to assume that part of the reason that Megan is such a mess is due to her guilt! It's utterly ridiculous.
THIS IS HAPPENING is a well acted and charming little film with stellar performances! Another reviewer mentioned Thelma and Louise and I agree with that reference, but I'd like to also add Grumpy Old Men into that mix! Seriously, Cloris Leachman is so great in this film.I mean she elevates everything she's in, but in this film, she is truly amazing! And this is not to say the other performances aren't great too, the rest of the cast does a fantastic job, the photography is also top-notch, production design is great, and there are some surprising unexpected twists that make this a great quirky film with some real heart which is rare! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
I stumbled across this movie and watched it without any expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. Philip, the downtrodden good son (James Wolk) is given the responsibility by his father (Judd Nelson) of placing his opinionated grandmother Estelle (Cloris Leachman) in a retirement home. He reluctantly agrees, only to find that his wayward sister Megan (Mickey Summer) decides to tag along for reasons known only to her, resulting in a feel good road trip movie complete with a stash of pot of good measure. Cloris Leachman truly shines as the cantankerous grandmother with a heart, and there are some laugh out loud moments too. The entire cast are perfectly placed in their parts and add richness to an otherwise standard road movie. This really deserves more credit than it's given imo, but hey, check it out for yourself, you might like it