Happy Times (2021) Review

The well-to-do Sigal (Liraz Chamami) packs the kids off for the night in order to host a Shabbat dinner party at the swanky Hollywood Hills mansion in which she and husband Yossi (Ido Mor) live.

From the beginning, there’s a tense atmosphere as the guests clash over intellectual ideologies, interior decoration and potential business deals, a situation which is further exacerbated when struggling actor Michael (Michael Aloni) irritates most of the others with his general demeanour and unwillingness to participate in the Havdalah.

As matters become even more strained, the verbal sparring turns physical and the evening turns into an increasingly frantic and bloody fight for survival as long-simmering resentments come to the surface and pranks have unexpectedly lethal consequences. Is anyone going to be left alive when the Rabbi arrives?

Happy Times is split into various chapters, with the associated titles lifted from the dialogue we’re soon to hear during the subsequent action. One of them is called “Have a blessed week, motherf***er”, which sums up the pitch of Michael Mayer’s movie rather succinctly. On the surface, everyone projects themselves as a pillar of society but you don’t have to take too much of a glimpse behind the front of these characters to know that almost everyone here is scheming, murderous and generally dreadful.

With no one for the viewer to genuinely root for – save for Michael’s girlfriend Aliyah (Stéfi Celma, showing deft comic timing as the situation spirals out of control) who quickly comes to the realisation that all she needs to do is get the hell out of there – there’s the potential for losing interest in the comedy of manners which makes up the bulk of the first half but there’s a certain amount of fascination in watching the animosity build and trying to predict who’s going to buy the farm, by whose hand and how, courtesy of various pieces of potential weaponry around the place.

Once things turn bloody, it’s a fairly guilt-free experience as these hideous folks bring about their own gruesome demise precisely because they’re lacking in any sort of basic human decency. The undercurrent of farce throughout prevents the proceedings from becoming too grim and there are a number of darkly amusing moments, particularly a scene in which one particularly inquisitive character doesn’t know how close they’re coming to being brained with a frying pan.

The ensemble plays it for all they’re worth, whether it’s Aloni fretting about his image, Mor’s boorish businessman’s swagger or Chamami’s unfailingly practical but slightly unhinged host, worrying about keeping up appearances even when there’s a bloody body on the floor. Mayer and Guy Ayal’s screenplay pokes plenty of fun at the modern Israeli American lifestyle but it could easily translate to most cultures with its confrontations concerning the accumulation and display of wealth and how, rightly or wrongly (well, mainly wrongly, let’s be honest), success is measured.

That’s not to say there aren’t occasional missteps. If you’re thinking that there’s always at point when the cops show up, you won’t surprise to learn that they do, but the scene doesn’t wring much at all in the way of laughs or suspense out of the predicament considering the intensifying comedic panic which precedes it. As for the very end, it’s amusing in its absolute cheerlessness but at the same time hinges on a piece of slapstick that’s slightly too telegraphed, although the cause of it is nicely built across the story.

Sometimes, it’s good to watch a film and be grateful that you’re nothing like the people in it. Happy Times is one of those films. It’s hardly a seal of approval for the benefits of a wealthy lifestyle but I thoroughly enjoyed watching awful people doing awful things to each other and thinking they’ll somehow avoid the awful consequences which ensue.

Proving that you don’t need to sympathise with a set of characters as long as they’re doing something interesting, this is a blast, spicing its tale of murky morals with bursts of ridiculous, OTT violence while bringing a surprisingly light touch to the increasing madness and mayhem. This is one dinner party invitation you’ll want to accept.

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