Are You Happy Now bills itself as an anti romantic comedy. Adam (Josh Ruben) summons up the courage to ask Gina (Ismenia Mendes) to marry him. She is not as keen on the idea at which point it is up to him to win her over. Except things do not quite play out like that.
What sounds like it is going to be a rom-com with a different spin, turns out to be a character study. Are You Happy Now seems to want to paint Adam as a complete doofus, but he is more socially awkward and oblivious than anything else. A lot of the jokes hinge on Adam being a total idiot and since he is not, they do not really work.
This is a product of the writing. Ruben is a capable hand who proves as charming as ever. There is also some great comedy that is well delivered. But nothing in the film ever makes Adam out to be as incompetent as Are You Happy Now expects him to be. The end result is a character that is occasionally funny, but annoying more often than not.
Another strange decision is to push Gina to the background. This happens often and again seems to be the result of the ideas not completely formulating on paper. The film wants to show how the two learn over time. This is common in these types of movies, but Are You Happy Now does not provide enough character insight about Gina for this to remain interesting.
In spite of its flaws, the story still manages to be entertaining. There are some laughs to be had and the supporting cast are strong even – if it is hard to figure out their place. Are You Happy Now makes plenty of missteps along the way, but that is expected when it comes to love.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.