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List Price: $9.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 18724
Released: April 11, 2000 |
| Our Price: $23.44 |
| Used Price: $9.45 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Popular stars Steve Zahn (FORCES OF NATURE, YOU'VE GOT MAIL, OUT OF SIGHT), Jeremy Northam (AN IDEAL HUSBAND, MIMIC), and William H. Macy (MYSTERY MEN, A CIVIL ACTION, FARGO) enliven a hilarious comedy where a case of mistaken identity leads to a beauty of a con game! When escaped convicts Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) are pulled over in the town of Happy, Texas ... while driving a stolen Winnebago ... they think they are being arrested. Rather, they're immediately welcomed as the vehicle's owners: a gay couple who've come to orchestrate the "Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pre-Teen" beauty pageant! Not ones to let a good con pass them by, the pair don't hesitate to adopt flamboyant new personalities ... and quickly meet with outrageously unpredictable consequences! With a great cast of stars playing an unusually offbeat collection of characters -- you'll be more than happy you picked up this laugh-out-loud comedy treat!
Description of Happy, Texas:
Three prisoners on a chain gang find themselves on the loose when their prison van overturns to avoid hitting an armadillo. Two of them--Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, The Winslow Boy) and Steve Zahn (Out of Sight, That Thing You Do!)--steal an RV that turns out to belong to two junior-beauty-pageant promoters on their way to organize a pageant in Happy, Texas. When Northam and Zahn find themselves stuck in Happy, their only option is to follow through with their masquerade and put on the pageant. Unfortunately, the promoters are known to be gay, which complicates matters when both men find themselves attracted to local women--Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart, Cape Fear) and Ally Walker (While You Were Sleeping, TV's Profiler). The cast is uniformly entertaining, but it's William H. Macy (Fargo, Pleasantville) who really steals the show as the town sheriff with a secret of his own. Happy, Texas was an audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival but didn't do as well in wide release, probably because viewers expected a nonstop farce. But though the movie is a comedy, and a very funny one, its humor springs more from nuances of character than broad wackiness. The situations are a little predictable, but the performers--especially Macy--give it zest and genuine feeling. --Bret Fetzer
Happy, Texas Reviews:
Happy Texas 
2009-10-06 - Very funny, quirky movie. Steve Zahn is a genius / clown. Well worth spending an hour and a half of your life.
TEXAS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE "HAPPY"! 
2009-08-24 - When I read the synopsis of this film I wasn't expecting too much, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cast which helped me to forgive the predictability of this off the wall romantic comedy. Macy and Zahn are stand outs in this consistent and funny film, but the entire cast really brings this one up a notch or two. It's kind of like 'Little Miss Sunshine' meets 'Joe Dirt'.
Steve Zahn - modern comedic hero!
2009-02-08 - I have no idea why this DVD is no longer beiong manufactured! Just last weekend, I watched it again on a cable network, and was blown away for the 4th or 5th time by Steve Zahn's performance. Jeremy Northam & William H. Macy are terrific, as well, although this should have been a star turn for Zahn. Want a completely "Happy" day? Watch this & "That Thing You Do" back-to-back; while both movies are extremely clever, for me, Zahn's characterizations linger most in the memory. Right now, I'm going to peruse local used stores to try and find a copy of "Happy, Texas!"
Great Sleeper
2008-11-05 - This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It is up there in a cult like status following with such great hits as Office Space and The Big Lebowski. Ya' all know what the story line, and the bottom line is the acting is great, story is creative, and the movie is a classic hit for the family.
Are we Reviewing the same Movie? 
2008-08-10 - This movie was somewhat watchable when it was free on TV. I am shocked by all the positive reviews. Esp. when so many critics rip apart good movies. This movie came out in '99, so the whole gay thing was already kinda tired then.
Jeremy Northram does not work in any way as a redneck convict. He even periodically loses his accent. Much of Zahn's antics seemed a litttle more groan worthy than funny. Macy is kind of sweet as the town's closeted sheriff. But overall this movie just didn't work or seem believable. None of these actors seem like Texans. The plot was kinda stock. Simply not a 5 star movie.
