Back in 2004, a very popular TV actor named Zach Braff (Scrubs) made his independent feature film debut by writing, directing, and starring in Garden State. The film was criticized for catering a little too much to hipsters, but at the same time was loved for its realistic depiction of the soul-searching journey of twenty-somethings. This time around, it’s popular TV actor Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) who has written, directed, and starred in a successful indie film. Happythankyoumoreplease does deal with the struggles of twenty-somethings, but it disappointingly lingers a bit too long in quirky hipster territory.
Sam (Radnor) is a short story author who is preparing for a meeting with a publisher to try and sell his first full length novel and get his first big break. He’s incredibly nervous, but gets a last minute vote of confidence from his best friend Annie (Malin Ackerman). On his way to the interview, he finds a little boy named Rasheen who has been separated from his family on the subway and Sam feels obligated to take the child with him. At least until he has the time to help him find his way home, which Rasheen seems to have no interest in doing. So Sam takes him home and introduces Rasheen to all of his friends.
Annie is an alopecia patient, desperate for love but extremely guarded. Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan), Sam’s cousin, is trying to cope with the fact that her longtime boyfriend Charlie (Pablo Schrieber) is growing increasingly distant. And while trying to take care of Rasheen, Sam meets Mississippi (Kate Mara), a waitress with the dream to make it big as a singer.
There seem to be two major storylines going on in this movie that should really be separated into two films: Sam and Rasheen and Sam and everyone else. Rasheen is a quiet little kid who stands in the background most of the time, until Sam remembers that he’s actually there. We slowly learn a little more about Rasheen throughout the course of the film and why he doesn’t want to go back to his foster home, but it’s really hard to imagine that life with Sam is much better. If the story was really about Rasheen and Sam’s relationship and how the two lost boys help each other find their way, then we shouldn’t have to be distracted by all the other stuff going on.
First there’s Mary Catherine and Charlie whose dramatic interactions are so unintentionally comical, I was reminded of Lisa and Johnny from The Room more than once. Their involvement in the story could have been completely removed and they wouldn’t have been missed. Annie is a thoroughly adorable character and is wonderfully played by Ackerman, but she’s so complex that she almost deserves her own film altogether. Her scene at the end, where she finally agrees to go on a date with a co-worker whose infatuation with her has reached almost creepy stalker proportions, is one of the sweetest scenes in the entire film. It’s the scene that I’ll remember, and the only reason that I’ll recommend this movie.
The relationship between Mississippi and Sam is so bizarre, it seems to fall into the being quirky just to be quirky category. They agree to a three-night stand instead of a one-night stand, and while they’re supposed to be having blossoming feelings towards each other, Sam just seems like such a depressed deadbeat. Josh Radnor’s Sam is completely self-destructive, from his view of himself to his view of the world. It seems that the only person he cares for is Annie. So much so, that I wondered several times why they don’t just get together. Fans of How I Met Your Mother will be disappointed in this character because he’s such a deviation from endearing, high-strung, lovesick Ted Mosby.
Annie gives a speech in the film that references the title, and says that if you’re happy with what you’re given, when you say “thank you” you should immediately say “more please”. In this case, when I say “more please”, I sincerely hope that Radnor has something better up his sleeve. Zach Braff all but disappeared after Scrubs, but Josh Radnor shouldn’t give up yet. He has shown some serious talent on TV and with this film, with the casting, the music (by New York singer/songwriter JayMay), and the potential that can be seen with the characters and ideas. But overall Happythankyoumoreplease is a disappointing first effort.
The colors and the city of New York are beautiful with this Blu-ray release. The plucky soundtrack by JayMay is the ideal companion to the plucky story, and the sound quality on the Blu-ray really enhances the experience.
Looking at the extras, Happythankyoumoremusicplease is a lovely featurette about JayMay and how Josh Radnor chose her to do the music for his film. I’m always amazed by artists who have the ability to write and record in their own homes, and JayMay is one of those artists. She also talks briefly about her experience at Sundance. (6:40)
Deleted Scenes – These scenes actually delve deeper into the relationships between the characters, stuff that was actually lacking in the finished film. This is just more proof that the characters needed their own films, not to be squished into one. (total run time 8:55)
Theatrical Trailer
Trailers – Meet Monica Velour, Beautiful Boy, Kill The Irishman, Daydream Nation
I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more extras on this Blu-ray release. Independent films always have the most interesting stories to tell and I’d much rather hear about those than watch hours of featurettes on a big budget release. Josh Radnor spent years developing this film and I’d be willing to bet that if people heard about his passion for getting it made, they’d end up with a different perspective on the film. The story is a little too quirky to be believable and I’d have a really hard time recommending it for anything more than the delightful ending. It’s difficult to give a first effort a bad review though, and I’m willing to give Radnor another shot. Let’s just make the next one better than Happythankyoumoreplease.
Anchor Bay presents Happythankyoumoreplease. Written and directed by: Josh Radnor. Starring: Josh Radnor, Malin Ackerman, Kate Mara. Running time: 100 minutes. Rating: R. Released on Blu-ray: June 21, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
