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The Happy Ending

"Marriage is a 30 billion dollar business! And that's just to get married."

1969-12-21 Drama 1hr 52m

The triumphs and failures of middle age as seen through the eyes of runaway American housewife Mary Wilson, a woman who believes that ultimate reality exists above and beyond the routine procedures of conscious, uninspired, everyday life. She feels cheated by an older generation that taught her to settle for nothing less than storybook finales, people who are disillusioned and restless and don't know why, people for whom life holds no easy answers.

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The Happy Ending

Storyline

The triumphs and failures of middle age as seen through the eyes of runaway American housewife Mary Wilson, a woman who believes that ultimate reality exists above and beyond the routine procedures of conscious, uninspired, everyday life. She feels cheated by an older generation that taught her to settle for nothing less than storybook finales, people who are disillusioned and restless and don't know why, people for whom life holds no easy answers.

  • Released
    1969-12-21
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 52m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.3
  • Production
    Pax Enterprises

Crew

Richard Brooks
Director
Richard Brooks
Producer

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Cast

Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons

Mary Wilson
John Forsythe

John Forsythe

Fred Wilson
Shirley Jones

Shirley Jones

Flo Harrigan
Teresa Wright

Teresa Wright

Mrs. Spencer
Dick Shawn

Dick Shawn

Harry Bricker
Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin

Franco (as Robert Darin)
Tina Louise

Tina Louise

Helen Bricker
Kathy Fields

Kathy Fields

Marge Wilson
Barry Cahill

Barry Cahill

Handsome Man
Erin Moran

Erin Moran

Marge as a Child (uncredited)

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Happy Ending
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-06-03

The interesting topic for this film just about gives it enough steam to sustain the almost two hours of screen time. Jean Simmons ("Mary") i... read more

The interesting topic for this film just about gives it enough steam to sustain the almost two hours of screen time. Jean Simmons ("Mary") is suffering from a long-term ennui with husband "Fred" (John Forsythe) and after trying drink and drugs to stimulate her existence, she absconds to the Bahamas (pawning her watch to fund this) on the evening of their wedding anniversary. It's on the plane that she encounters old friend "Flo" (Shirley Jones) and her pal "Sam" (Lloyd Bridges) and upon arrival they take the now penniless "Mary" in charge. It doesn't take long for the disillusioned lady to start to release that the grass is never really any greener, but her time in this idyllic location does allow her to recalibrate her priorities and sense of self (as well as to evaluate how her own life bears comparison with those of her friends). Simmons reminded me a little of Liz Taylor in this film. She has a confidence to portray a middle aged woman with demons and doubts; flawed and envious but kind and lonely too. Jones is good, also, as the friend whose life adds up to little more than series of relationships with wealthy men who have delivered fun and luxury, but little of substance. It falls to Bobby Darin's ("Franco") to finally help the penny to drop. Sadly, the film also focusses on the other half of this partnership a little too much, as Forsythe just had no weight as actor. Sure he was debonaire and had a certain class about him, but even at his ostensibly most impassioned in this film, his characterisation of the loving husband was more akin to that of a caring doctor. There was nothing remotely visceral about his effort, and that - I felt - really compromised the overall value of the film. Lloyd Bridges was never my favourite actor either, and here he contributes little of value by way of a foil to the kindly but selfish Jones. Plenty for us to get our teeth into, with a good strong story (though I didn't much like the ending) directed with a pace that suited the star. The dialogue is wordy, and sometimes a little melodramatic, but it is still a vehicle for fans of Jean Simmons to enjoy. Could have been much better, though.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

The interesting topic for this film just about gives it enough steam to sustain the almost two hours of screen time. Jean Simmons ("Mary") is suffering from a long-term ennui with husband "Fred" (John Forsythe) and after trying drink and dr...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-06-03

The interesting topic for this film just about gives it enough steam to sustain the almost two hours of screen time. Jean Simmons ("Mary") is suffering from a long-term ennui with husband "Fred" (John...

read more