Welcome to Happiness | Rotten Tomatoes

Welcome to Happiness

PG-13

Released May 20, 2016

1 hr. 48 min.

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

TRAILER

for Welcome to Happiness: Trailer 1

List

31%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A children's author (Kyle Gallner) rents an apartment where a magical door allows people to change their past mistakes.

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A K

I liked it. It's one of those out there movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

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tom m

Another rather odd story/film. The cast was first rate. The production value was good. It was interesting and entertaining.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Most people simply don't get this brilliant movie because they don't understand the symbolism. If you watch it as merely an entertaining story, you are probably going to agree with most of the critics who can't wade any further than the shallow end of the philosophical pool. It is a parable. It doesn't give you answers, it is supposed to be thought provoking, which it succeeds handsomely. The film is absurd and chaotic giving you a sense of instability much the same as life makes us feel -- off-balance and unsure. Every viewer is Woody. That is why this film is so brilliant. We really have no idea what is going on and we are all trying to figure it out, just as each of the characters are grappling with their own life stories. The "message" of this film can be as simple, meaningless, or profound as you choose to see life. The film demonstrates how reality conspires to give us what we need to be happy, but when we focus on what we don't have, we become dissatisfied. By dwelling on the past or wishing for a better future, we miss the good things in the present, often destroying what we have in pursuit of what we THINK will make us happy. By comparing our suffering to others, or what they receive that we don't, we become trapped in a cycle that leads to disaster. We become obsessed with others stories instead of our own. There are synchronicities we don't recognize. This film has far more to offer than a story to keep you occupied for a few hours. You just have to expend some effort to see it. This could be truly life changing if you get its message.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

corkball

Intriguing premise - a man lives in an apartment with a door that leads to happiness, but he is not allowed to enter. There is an interesting setup, and you wonder - how does this all work? What is with the rocks and the dot matrix printer? Who are these odd characters? How do all these threads tie together? There is certainly the setup here for a really good film. Unfortunately, the film does not take that path, and while there is SOME attempt to tie all the disparate characters together, none of my actual questions were answered. They get a few points for taking on what can only be considered religious questions (without the religion), but by the time they got to the end, the entire movie had come off the rails and they were doing an Age of Aquarius clap circle stick a fork in it done. PS: soundtrack was awful. Sounded like indie rock doing Woody Guthrie and not in any imaginable good way. The songs always inserted inorganically into the story, and overly loudly as well.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

diane h

It started out kind of interesting, then it just fell apart and took a really long time to end.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie with a great storyline

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Oliver Thompson

Director

Kyle Gallner

Woody

Olivia Thirlby

Trudy

Brendan Sexton III

Nyles

Josh Brener

Ripley

Molly C. Quinn

Lillian

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Welcome to Happiness: Trailer 1

1:57

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Roxana Hadadi

Punch Drunk Critics

Is precious approach to grief and recovery overwhelms any nuance the script may have.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 9, 2017

Full Review

Sheri Linden

Hollywood Reporter

Likable performers and novel storyline notwithstanding, the comic drama stumbles, leaving audiences with unsatisfying answers to its magic-tinged mystery.

May 20, 2016

Full Review

Matt Fagerholm

RogerEbert.com

The irony is that as Gallner's performance gets stronger, the film around him grows weaker.

Rated: 2/4

May 20, 2016

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Although there are some stumbles on the road to a smooth emotional conclusion, the levels of craftsmanship on both the technical and storytelling fronts are solidly engaging and intertwined.

Nov 3, 2019

Full Review

Adam Mock

Film Inquiry

Oliver Thomson spins a yarn not seen enough in cinema these days. Straying away from the norm, he leaves the audience captivated and questioning well into the film's intriguing, yet logically simple conclusion.

Mar 20, 2019

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Common Sense Media

It's hard to hate Oliver Thompson's debut feature; it's a truly heartfelt effort, but it's also not very good. WELCOME TO HAPPINESS is an arrhythmic mess of ideas and scenes, sabotaged by a bad ending.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 1, 2016

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Synopsis

A children's author (Kyle Gallner) rents an apartment where a magical door allows people to change their past mistakes.

Director: Oliver Thompson
Executive Producer: Richard Rawlings
Screenwriter: Oliver Thompson
Distributor: FilmBuff
Production Co: Minutehand Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Sexuality|Thematic Elements|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 2016, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2016
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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