Happy Anniversary Synopsis: A couple on their three-year anniversary need to decide whether to stay together or call it quits.
On the morning of their third anniversary, Mollie (NoĂŤl Wells) decides she’s not happy in her relationship with Sam (Ben Schwartz). This sets off a day of mutual frustrations as Sam and Mollie sort through their relationship through flashbacks while they struggle to determine if they have a future together.
Happy Anniversary never really explains why Mollie is suddenly unhappy. The flashbacks show us they’re simply an average couple with typical problems. Are their arguments and conflicts relatable? Sure. Can couples be indecisive about where to eat or what color paint to buy? Absolutely. Everyone has flaws. Sam can be a jerk, and Mollie can be difficult to get along with. But then she whines about her ‘biological clock’ and uses her dad’s cancer as a means to ‘take a break’ from Sam for a while.
Meanwhile, Sam gets frustrated with Mollie for having emotions and laments that the next time he’ll be truly happy is when she’s dead. Of course, he says he didn’t mean it, but jeez, toxicity runs rampant through their relationship. Some sweet moments are shown as well, but these seem to be overwhelmed by the underlying resentments the two seem to feel towards each other.
“I see the glass of water as half full. She sees the water as poisoned. Also, there is a chip in the glass. So, when you drink it, it’s gonna cut your esophagus; you’re gonna bleed everywhere.” – Sam
In my opinion, Happy Anniversary’s balance between comedy and drama was uneven and created a somewhat incohesive narrative. I understand that many flashbacks were designed to make us understand the nature of their relationship and realize, as they do, that they love one another and should stay together. Honestly, though, all I could think about was how I really couldnât care less what they decided to do, and in reality, they would probably be much happier apart.
Regardless of my personal sentiments towards the characters, Schwartz and Wells delivered commendable performances, effectively portraying individuals grappling with their personal and romantic desires. The issue was that their chemistry didn’t resonate all that strongly with me.
Rahul Kohli is a bright spot and much-needed comedic relief as Sam’s friend and colleague, Ed. Kristin Bauer van Stratenâs no-nonsense investor is very reminiscent of her role as vampire Pam in True Blood, though I couldnât quite figure out what her purpose was meant to be other than someone who inserts herself into Samâs romantic problems and then acts annoyed by the entire fiasco. Sadly, Joe Pantoliano and Annie Potts are wasted as Mollieâs parents. With their talent on screen, I was expecting much more than what was given.
Happy Anniversary is only 78 minutes long, but it feels longer. The movie is well-acted, but I didn’t feel the connection between Mollie and Sam that was needed to make me care about whether or not they stayed together. Happy Anniversary describes the couple as ‘quirky’, but they’re both difficult and unhappy. It’s two miserable people ultimately deciding to be miserable together. I wish I had more positive things to say about it. The premise had a lot of potential, but it simply fell short due to poor execution, an uneven narrative, and two leads with very little to no chemistry.
Watched: 01/14/2019
Notable Song: Trying My Best to Love You by Jenny Lewis
