Happy, Texas

Released 1999
Stars Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn, William H. Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, M.C. Gainey, Ron Perlman
Directed by Mark Illsley

A pair of escaped cons, the laconic Harry Sawyer (Jeremy Northam) and the dimmest bulb in the pack, Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Steve Zahn), are looking for a place to lie low while the police are scouring the countryside for them. When they arrive in the small hamlet of Happy, Texas ("the town without a frown") in a stolen Winnebago, they are mistaken for the pair of gay beauty pageant consultants who have been hired to help the little girls of Happy win the 18th annual "Little Miss Fresh Squeezed" talent contest. Since this kind of impersonation seems like a great way to steer clear of the cops, the pair decides to play along with the town's enthusiastic residents. So, while Wayne, under the watchful eye of the local school teacher, Ms. Schaefer (Illeana Douglas), ineptly tries to instruct his charges on the finer points of winning a pageant, Harry plans a robbery of the local bank. But there are two complications - he is falling for the bank president, Josephine McLintock (Ally Walker), while being courted by the sheriff, Chappy Dent (William H. Macy), who thinks he finally has found a soul mate.

Summary by James Berardinelli

This movie is predictable from beginning to end. It's amazing how every single step is taken from the screenwriter's handbook with no thought for originality. Even so, it's funny and good-natured, which make it fun. I was bored during some of the obligatory scenes, but I laughed enough to overcome that. What elevated it to the point that I would recommend it to someone looking for very light fare, was William H. Macy's role as Chappy. As always, he was outstanding and brought poignancy and humanity to a role that could have been played soley for laughs. Chappy was well-wrtten and well-realized and made "Happy, Texas" worth a rental. -- Bill Alward, June 19, 2001