I confess to having seen this film twice, the second time just to see if knowing the ending made any difference to the way the script plays out. It didn't. I was just as embroiled in the detail of a family showing their affection for each other in so many different ways but none of them pleasant. And yet the love was and is there for the whole of the family, it just isn't the kind of fluff or gush that Hollywood is famed for heaping upon its audiences. This is tough love for tough lives, not in the physical sense but in the mental veneers families sometimes play with.

If this were a book you would probably put it down and find a lighter read but as a film it provokes you to look away in the full knowledge you won't because you are already gripped. You just want to know how long it will take before the sparring turns into real bare knuckle fights. The cast perform their tasks wonderfully well, so well that they seem real and that is another reason you cannot turn your head. It is not a film for those who love action or movement in a film because this dwells and draws maximum coverage from each scene. And yet it isn't slow. It is deeply layered and textured with such a diverse range of characters each vying for your affection. And you will love them all for their many faults but mostly for their ability to survive.

If you are not into intelligent drama then you'd best give this a mess, but if you like a really good tour around human beings attempting to live together if only for a day or so, then try it. You may enjoy it as much as I did.

This is a film which crosses the lines between dark comedy, intense family drama, and tragedy. Ellen Barkin stars as Lynn (called Ellen at the wedding reception-oops!) whose life is one tragic soap opera after another. She has raised dysfunctional children and she tries to blame everything but herself. While it is pointed out she is a common denominator by her son Ben (Daniel Yelsky),it is not a definite conclusion. Her middle cynical son Elliot (Ezra Miller) has his own issue and finds comfort in drugs. He provides us with one of life's odd philosophies one morning at breakfast and perhaps has some of the best lines in the film, if you are paying attention.

The family travels to Maryland for the wedding of her eldest son, one that was raised by her abusive first husband Paul (Thomas Haden Church) and his combative catty wife Patty (Demi Moore). The dysfunctional family spends time at the grandparents and they must endure a rehash of the embarrassing past...as is typical at family get togethers. Grandpa has a bad heart and also likes to wander.

The film builds up for the dramatic meet-up of Paul and his estranged daughter Alice (Kate Bosworth)which by this time is anti-climatic. The acting was stellar as one might expect from this cast. The film slows up enough to let you catch your breath, and digest what has happened before the next family crisis.

Excessive F-bomb, sexual references, male nudity

With plays about dysfunctional families taking over the stage, "Another Happy Day" reminds me of many of them. "August: Osage County", "Other Desert Cities" and "The Lyons" were excellently written views of screwed-up people trying to keep their clans together no matter how miserable they made each other. Ellen Barkin is excellent as one of three sisters who returns home to visit her mother (Ellen Burstyn) when Barkin's son (raised by his father) is about to be married. Resentments pop up all over the place, usually focusing on three of Barkin's four children who are all dealing with emotional issues that go way beyond their control and have the equally problem loaded Barkin at her wits end of what to do. Only the soon-to-be married son seems to be drama free, a fact that one of her children points out to her as being the result of not having been reared by her. That is probably why his bride-to-be hasn't run away once she sees what the rest of the family is like.

First hubby Thomas Haden Church is married to the luscious looking Demi Moore who seems quite together at first and even is friendly towards Barkin. But like all of those Broadway plays, relationships are not what they seem to be, and resentments explode into angry words and potential violence. Glamorous mom Burstyn is dealing with her quiet husband George Kennedy's constant heart problems, and has no patience for Barkin's constant drama. Barkin's two gossipy sisters aren't any help, either, especially when one of them discovers one of the sons putting on lipstick. The events are documented by the youngest son who wants to film the entire weekend. This calls for break-out performances by the two young actors as Barkin's children from what seems to be a better second marriage. All sorts of secrets are revealed, and like in real life, many of the issues are never resolved.

Sometimes it is awkward to watch these sorts of dramas unfold as it feels like you are staring into people's souls. I couldn't relate to Barkin's character, but I empathized with her as to her unsure nature of how to deal with everything. I wanted payback for the two sisters whose goal in life it seems was to discredit everybody else in the family. I also really found Burstyn and Kennedy's stories to be touching, really understanding the generational gap between each part of the family tree. Burstyn dominates the action in every scene she does, expressing her disappointments and breaking down in her praise of the quiet husband she is so afraid of loosing. Kennedy has little to say, but expresses so much with his eyes and just the single sentences he is able to get out.

There are some nice little bits of hints here and there, especially concerning what kind of character Moore really is. Watch Church's reaction to his wife in the last quarter of the movie. What isn't said is much more powerful than the verbal. Ezra Miller is an actor to watch. Get this young actor on Broadway!