Another Happy Day is a black dramedy that features an ensemble cast such as Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth, Ellen Burstyn, Thomas Haden Church and Demi Moore.It is all about a dysfunctional family that gathers together on a family weekend.One weekend,every family member gathers together at the Annapolis estate of Lynn's parents for the discussion of the marriage of her eldest son Dylan,who accompanied by his three younger children.Lyn's other children,Elliot and Alice arrives as well having issues of their own with the former who isn't really in a good relationship with her mother and the latter having a hard time fighting her demons.Worse things happen when Lynn is demanded to be heard by her parents and her judgmental sisters as well by her ex-husband Paul and his second wife,Patty.The film was difficult to watch since everyone - let me repeat that everyone - is dislikeable and unbearable. It isn't funny considering that many viewers see films to relax and enjoy a good movie.Unfortunately,the people in it add stress to the viewer.What also is unrealistic is the fact that everyone seem to hate each other and managed to live in the same roof.Despite having talented actors and actresses involved in it,they are unable to lift it from being a poor movie into at least an average one.Finally,the good screenplay did not help as well as viewer could not feel nor empathize with the characters in it.

What a surprise this was. Wasn't expecting much, due to mixed reception, but immediately I realized this is not only a drama, it's a dark comedy, and added that to the description here at IMDb. The title "Another happy day" is completely ironical, something I can see some reviewers of this really haven't grasped. There's simply no happiness here.It's a story about an extremely dysfunctional family, the Helmans (as in Hell mans) and it's tragic, this family event, which makes everything come to the surface. This is a comedy filled with black humor, mixed with life tragedies and lots if irony, which obviously many must have had problems in understanding. Maybe you've got to know a dysfunctional family to appreciate this film, or even be a part of it. The film is a gathering if most common problems which may occur in lives, though it might be a big much since everything herd is within a family.Drug abuse, depression, self destructive behavior, therapy, domestic violence, alcoholism, difficult parents-children relations, adultery, Alzheimer's, neighboring conflicts, family secrets, suicidal tendencies... It's all here. The film resembles a couple of other tragic comic family disasters I've seen, like "Festen" ("The Celebration"), August: Osage County" and "Cabin fever"/("Når nettene blir lange"), "In bed with Santa"/("Tomten er far til alla barnen") and even "Hotel New Hampshire" though I haven't seen the latter since it came out. Well I tend to enjoy these kinds of tragedy portrays, and this is up among them.Maybe not great to watch either, if you're right in a family crises, if you don't then find this comforting. Someone always got it worse. Anyway, this is beautifully acted, not only by Ellen Barkin, which is perfect in a tragedy like this, but by the whole ensemble. I simply wax blown away by Ezra Miller and Kate Bosworth, Ellen Burstyn is as always great. I completely enjoyed the play with differences in a big family.The film is greatly summed up in the son Elliot asking the bartender to give him three scotch whiskeys. The bartender asks "How old are you?" before getting this answer: -I'm 17. This is my family, and this is Hell! The bartender serving the three drinks without any hesitation.Lovely dark comedy!

I really liked this film, It's problem was that it was sold as a comedy or romance summer type movie, neither fit. While it could be labeled as a "chick flick" it was dark & funny at the same time. It was certainly better than the average made in Canada Lifetime Movie flick. But its large great ensemble cast, with its many family members, made it harder to follow.Ellen Barkin really shown through as the beleaguered mom in this movie, taking her dysfunctional family to her father's estate to the wedding of her son whom she lost custody of to her blando waspy ex husband, Paul (Church) and his current trashy brash wife Patti(Demi Moore playing against type). She is good hearted but high strung and has been over drugged and analyzed by shrinks. She has her share of faults but in comparison to the rest of her family, she is a gem. Her mother Doris (Ellen Burstyn) is cold and has her hands full taking care of her declining husband, Joe(George Kennedy was awesome). Then add her nutty sisters, Diane Scarwid with her poodle in her outfits for more fun. Lynn's family is a case. Her oldest daughter Alice has psych issues, she cuts herself, and everyone is on eggshells about her. Her son Eliot, (Ezra Miller) steals the show as a nasty manipulative intelligent junkie trouble maker. while her youngest son, Ben,(Daniel Yelsky) is a nice sensitive kid who got labeled then drugged by a POS shrink. The son getting married, Dylan, and his bride to be Heather, are really bland sort of beautiful people who serve mainly as foils and pawns in a head game between Lynn & Patty, Pauls past & present wives. Add Lynn's current husband Lee (Winnebago Dale from the Walking Dead), who seems totally out of synch with everything & spouts bland irrelevant nonsense for a little comic relief.Part of the movie revolves around Ben and Elliot making their own little documentary where Elliot gets to spill his acid on everyone else. Not an unusual concept these days but it worked.It all comes to a head at the wedding reception where all sorts of tragic and comic almost tragic stuff happens. A great movie for any intelligent person male or female, to watch.

I almost didn't watch this film because of the low rating, however, I am so glad I did. Perhaps because I relate to the total dysfunction of this family. I'm not sure I've ever seen a film that so honestly depicts the family dynamic and the characters within it. The emotional depth so brilliantly displayed by Ellen Barkin (who plays Lynn), is truly profound. Her agony is so real, so sad, and so hopeless. She takes hit after hit from her children, her parents, and her siblings as the whole extended family gathers to celebrate her estranged sons marriage. I actually believed her character was one of the strongest of all of them. Although not perfect, she continues to go on and on amidst all of the embarrassment and humiliation inflicted by her family, and survives through to the end. The performances in this film are just so perfect. You whole-heartedly believe in every one of these characters. As most REAL-LIFE situations have it, it does not end with rainbows and kittens and cupcakes. However, it does leave you with something to hang on to. As Lynn's son Elliot so brazenly put it: "Death is a more unifying force within family than love". And death, better than nothing at all for this family.