Happy, Texas (1999)
72%RT Audience Score: 55%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 6 nominations
A smart, light-hearted romantic comedy, Happy, Texas uses its well-written script and exceptional cast to prove there’s still life left in the fish-out-of-water caper genre
Happy, Texas is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even want to move to a small town. Steve Zahn is hilarious as always, and the fish out of water plot is executed perfectly. The movie does have its sentimental moments, but they never feel forced or cheesy. Overall, Happy, Texas is a feel-good comedy that will leave you with a smile on your face. Just don’t try to rob a bank dressed as a beauty pageant contestant, okay?
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Piru, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some violence
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Genre(s)
Comedy/Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
Happy, Texas, comedy, LGBTQ+, 1h 44m, starring Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn, William H Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, directed by Mark Illsley, written by Ed Stone, Mark Illsley, Phil Reeves, produced by Mark Illsley, Rick Montgomery, Ed Stone, box office gross $1.9M, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Emanuel Levy, Philip Kemp, Jeff Strickler, Kevin Thomas, Sarah Hepola, Joe Leydon, Richard Propes, Michael Dequina, James Sanford, Robin Clifford, PG-13, bank robbers, mistaken identity, child beauty pageant, fish-out-of-water, romantic comedy, Texas Panhandle, local sheriff, attraction, schoolteacher
Worldwide gross: $1,955,933
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,510,954
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,276
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 382,874
US/Canada gross: $1,955,933
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,510,954
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,904
US/Canada opening weekend: $72,056
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $129,343
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,835
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $4,487,570
Production budget ranking: 1,930
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,416,556
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,393,172
ROI to date (est.): -49%
ROI ranking: 1,687
Steve Zahn – Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr.
William H. Macy – Sheriff Chappy Dent
Ally Walker – Josephine “Joe” McClintock
Illeana Douglas – Doreen Schaefer
M.C. Gainey – Robert “Bob” Allen Maslow
Mark Illsley – Director/Producer/Writer
Rick Montgomery – Producer
Ed Stone – Producer/Writer
Phil Reeves – Writer
Director(s)
Mark Illsley
Writer(s)
Ed Stone, Mark Illsley, Phil Reeves
Producer(s)
Mark Illsley, Rick Montgomery, Ed Stone
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (10)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Steve Zahn shines in Illsley’s feature debut, elevating this eccentric small-town comedy two notches above the level of writing. Using the fish out of water format, this Sundance premiere begins well but then declines rapidly.
January 29, 2007 | Rating: B-
Emanuel Levy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
…although it reverts to slapstick for its set-piece chase finale, for most of its length Mark Illsley’s debut film offers an unexpectedly gentle, even sentimental comedy of sexual identities…
December 2, 2002 | Rating: 4/5
Philip Kemp
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
A charming fish-out-of-water romantic comedy, the modestly budgeted Happy, Texas more than makes up in heart what it lacks in splash.
November 6, 2002 | Rating: 4/5
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Happy, Texas is a hoot, a hilarious comedy that’s smart and caring, yet sexy and ingenious enough that it just might stir up some of that elusive Full Monty-style box-office appeal.
February 14, 2001 | Rating: 4.5/5
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/5
Sarah Hepola
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
“Happy, Texas” is a fresh, frisky and very funny feel-good comedy that delights in upending expectations by avoiding cheap shots and demeaning caricatures.
September 3, 2021
Joe Leydon
The Moving Picture Show
It is a film I love, a film I watch regularly, and a film that makes me laugh each and every time.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Every bit as cheery as the title implies–but good will can only go so far.
January 3, 2009 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
first-time filmmaker Illsley displays a surprisingly firm yet gentle hand with both his script and his enormously appealing cast.
November 14, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
April 9, 2005 | Rating: B-
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
May 14, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly…
Plot
Two escaped convicts arrive in the town of Happy, Texas, where they are mistaken for a gay couple who is to host the town’s Little Miss Fresh Squeezed beauty pageant. Enjoying the celebrity and using their skill as con-men, the two adopt their persona to take on the task. Of course, as the two are heterosexual, their interest in the involved ladies intensifies. Ally Walker is a banker, who is distrustful of men and has given up on love. Illeana Douglas plays the dowdy, badly dressed teacher.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Happy, Texas.
Mark-Illsley.jpg
