Happiness For Beginners, a popular novel written by Katherine Center has been adapted into a Netflix feature film. It is written and directed by Vicky Wight and co-produced by Geoffe Linville and Berry Meyerowitz. The romantic comedy film has a runtime of about 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The cast of the film includes Ellie Kemper as Helen, Luke Grimes as Jake, Nico Santos as Hugh, Ben Cook as Beckett, Shayvawn Webster as Windy, Esteban Benito as Mason, Julia Shiplett as Sue, Gus Birney as Kaylee, Esteban Benito as Mason, Ben Cook as Beckett, Blythe Danner and Alexander Koch as Duncan.
Happiness For Beginners Review
The film starts with Helen sitting at a party and making a list for her upcoming hiking trip. Her goal is to find a deeper communication and rise from the ashes like a phoenix, and also, to earn the certificate for the best hiker. In a flashback, it is shown that her brother had always disapproved of her marriage with Mike and now that she is divorced and refiguring her life, the words come back to her.
That’s why she signed up for a hiking trip with a group of individuals, even though she never camped before in her life. She believes that being surrounded by nature, she will heal the pain and heartbreak she has been feeling but isn’t able to let go of or express. According to her, she has to show her best self to everyone and be the rock for others. Thus with this trip which is like an ‘adventure of a lifetime’, she hopes to find herself and reconnect.
While she had hoped to figure everything out on her own, when she finds her brother’s best friend – Jake, on the trip as well, things don’t go as she had planned. She isn’t just a stranger among others but now someone knows what she is like and has been through. Thus, the mask of having it all together comes back and makes it hard for her to open up.
Also Read: They Cloned Tyrone Review: Fun, Absurdist Conspiracy Comes Eerily Close to Reality
It’s been a while since the main lead of a rom-com/healing movie isn’t insufferably annoying, who sees the silver lining only at the end. Contrary to that trope, Ellie Kemper as Helen is a reserved person, wanting to do the best in everything but when her marriage breaks apart, she feels lost. She isn’t whining all the time and trying to be a ‘know-it-all’ but she is figuring things out confidently and that’s something quite relatable. She wanted to gather her broken pieces in nature, where nobody would know her or expect anything out of her.
However, Jake being there does slow that process down, but also helps her in realising things that she would have ignored. Talking about Jake, there’s only one thing that was out of place and it’s his facial hair. At the start of the film, he is clean-shaved with a bit of stubble and within a day, he is shown to have grown a moustache and beard. It’s a small production error that could have been corrected otherwise, his character is swoon-worthy. He is the catalyst in Helen’s development but isn’t too pushy or trying to change her ways.
Overall, it’s a lighthearted film that would make one consider going on a hiking trip. It is entertaining and many would find the story relatable as well as empathetic. It might even make you wanna read the book since a film definitely can’t fit in every single detail about Helen’s journey to self-discovery. What makes it so good is that it wasn’t preachy but follows a natural progression, as a person goes through a range of emotions.
Rating: 4/5
Happiness For Beginners is currently streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Missing The Lucie Blackman Case Review: Unearthing a Predatory Monster
Leave a Reply