NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2024): Criterion have transferred Todd Solondz's Happiness to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Maryse Alberti, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack" The Criterion 4K UHD package has one 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and this Blu-ray (which is also available separately) with the film and special features. While we are in possession of the 4K UHD disc we cannot resolve the encode yet and therefore cannot obtain screen captures. We hope to add to this review when possible. So, the below captures are from Criterion's 2024 1080P Blu-ray transfer.

The 1080P image quality is as clean and consistent as you might anticipate. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors are bright and balanced. It looks quite flawless in 1080P. The 4K UHD has an uptick in the contrast depth and texture. There is an improvement in visual areas like color richness and tightness. Larger systems will proportionately notice the further, film-like, improvement.

NOTE: We have added 48 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a DTS-HD Master stereo track (24-bit) in the original English language. Happiness has no strongly aggressive moments mostly existing as dialogue-driven. There is a kid's baseball game, quiet restaurants, family dinners etc. The score was credited to Robbie Kondor (The Suburbans), but the film has other impacting music including classical pieces like Mozart's Requiem and Soave sia il vento from Cosi Fan Tutte, Vivaldi's Concerto for Guitar in D Major, Samuel Barber's Op. 38: 1. Allegro appassionato, - plus Air Supply's All Out of Love, Barry Manilow's Mandy and diegetic - Jane Adams performing Happiness (Michael Stipe and Rain Phoenix sing it over the credits,) and Joseph Brooks (as Russian student 'Vlad') performing You Light Up My Life etc.. The lossless audio transfer is as perfect as the video. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE ('A' or 'B' depending on your geographical region) Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new 40-minute conversation between director Todd Solondz and, his former student, filmmaker Charlotte Wells (Aftersun.) They talk about the ambiguity in Happiness's irony and detachment that play into the film. I found it quite revealing. Also, running shy of 1/4 hour is a new interview with actor Dylan Baker who played psychiatrist, father of three, and pedophile, Bill Maplewood. He describes it as the best script he had ever read. Lastly, is a trailer and the package has liner notes with an essay by screenwriter and novelist Bruce Wagner (Force Majeure.)  

Todd Solondz's Happiness can really burn into your memory banks if you aren't expecting it. I've never forgot my first viewing more than 20-years ago. The film's shocking qualities are mostly conveying surprising honesty - the unspoken secrets many never reveal. I recall Sylvester Stallone stating "Wouldn't it be great to live without secrets". Happiness has obscene telephone calls, sexual deviance, masturbation, pedophilia, unhealthy obsession... but the root often seems to center on loneliness and dissatisfaction. There is a sort of disjointed cast in Happiness with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ben Gazzara, Dylan Baker, Camryn Manheim, Louise Lasser, Jon Lovitz... but that may give the film some of its fascinating vérité. The Sundance Film Festival refused to screen Happiness with its controversial subject - but I think they missed out on a defining black comedy. The Criterion Blu-ray and 4K UHD offer a home screening experience of a piece of cinema that is very much worth seeing... and re-seeing. Funny, sad, shocking... exposing some of the unpalatable, and deceptive, underbelly of humanity - all available in one digital package. Wow. Recommended.

Gary Tooze