SYNOPSICS
The Happiest Place on Earth (2015) is a English movie. John Goshorn has directed this movie. Jennifer Faith Ward,Tom Kemnitz Jr.,Marco DiGeorge,Peg O'Keef are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2015. The Happiest Place on Earth (2015) is considered one of the best Drama,Mystery movie in India and around the world.
As the film opens, Jonah and Maggie are in the process of buying their first home, picking out one that feels perfect to start a family. They move in, riding a wave of satisfaction at opening the next chapter in their lives. But it doesn't last. Days after moving in, the newspaper where Jonah works makes job cuts, his position among them. They try to muddle through and hold on to their dream. Maggie picks up a waitressing gig to supplement her daycare job, and Jonah tries desperately to find work and renegotiate the terms of their mortgage, to no avail. And trying to compete in a dying industry and a saturated job market, his opportunities are severely limited. After a particularly humiliating interview and another round of bad news about the mortgage, Jonah is at his wit's end. He heads to the coast to regroup, but never returns home. He is presumed to have drowned while kayaking in the ocean, but no one is certain. Maggie is left to pick up the pieces while weighing her grief, her ...
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The Happiest Place on Earth (2015) Reviews
Simple but interesting story
I thought that this film was more a drama than a thriller. A woman and her husband fall on hard times when he loses his job. When he goes missing on a camping trip, both his wife and the audience have to decide if he's really dead or possibly trying to scam the insurance company. I watch a lot of low-budget films on Amazon and Hulu, and this was one of the better ones I've seen . The acting is good, and even if I sometimes knew where the plot was going there were still a few surprises in there. The direction is solid and makes good use of the natural lighting and sets that they worked with. The only thing that bothered me was that it didn't seem like either the husband or the wife was really willing to hustle to pay their bills--like, walk some dogs or bus some tables. But then again, I guess some people can't get their heads around the idea of working a "lesser" job. In any event, I watched this one for free on Amazon Prime and I think it's worth checking out. It's a pretty brisk 80 minutes, and you'll know about 15 minutes in whether or not you're invested in the story.
Striking and passionate
You can tell from the opening moments that there is an anger and passion driving the film, which is necessary on a film of this scale. Despite it being a smaller movie, the film still manages to be incredibly well shot with striking compositions. It's biggest flaw is its passion for the subject matter, and how it relentlessly moves from one moment to the next. The film, being tight at under 90 minutes, could use more breathing room to let its conflict build to drive the devastation home, but its enthusiasm for the story its telling shows that there's a strong voice at the helm. The good news? Usually films like this are a bit overwrought in its need to get a message across, but the film allows the story to speak for the subject matter rather than blatantly tell you what to think.
Fantastic Performances
John Goshorn's feature film debut as a director manages to do something that even the most established directors shoot for, it puts a human (and tragic) face on the country's recent economic downturn. In less capable hands this morality tale might be too preachy, or overwrought, but we never find ourselves scolded by the film. Maggie and Jonah want take part in the American dream. They want to own a house. And so they buy a house, but for them, like for so many others that house becomes a noose around their necks when Jonah looses his job at the newspaper. Seeing no other options Jonah makes the ultimate sacrifice to help provide for Maggie. Jennifer Faith Ward and Tom Kemnitz Jr as Maggie and Jonah respectively are incredibly engaging and breathe life into their characters in way that reminds us of early Cassavetes. In fact, that filmmaker is the one that seems to have been this production's patron saint. Goshorn seems completely willing to enclose us in the claustrophobia of realism no matter how uncomfortable or horrific it may be for Maggie and Jonah, or for us.
Great performances, great story
The director uses ambient light and realistic locations to give this film a documentary feel that gives the audience a sense that this could be a true story. He elicited passionate performances from every actor. Even characters with one or no lines make you believe in the reality of their world. This is a compelling story with a memorable twist at the end.
Flawless acting and cinematography
The acting and directing of this film were exceptional. Having heard from the director that only natural lighting and fixtures were used, that makes the film all the more impressive. There were a couple of lines that seemed misplaced and it seemed to drag a bit in some places, but that's nothing one more edit couldn't amend. All in all, a touching story, heartfelt acting, great directing and cinematography. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. I would recommend for anyone interested in film or just the human condition to watch this.