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Hollywood romances are a dime a dozen, but this independent drama, loosely based on "Anna Karenina," is about normal characters in a new loving relationship- and it's a refreshing change of pace.
Anna (Rachel Delante) is a graduate student living with her boyfriend Kevin (Jon Miquel) in Boston. Their relationship is mundane, neither happy nor sad. Anna's brother Steve (Jason Lane Fenton) is in a relationship with her best friend Donna (Kerri Patterson). The bickering couple are not very inspirational to anyone they come in contact with. Anna meets musician Alex (Tyler Peck), and the sparks fly. Anna hesitates before finally pursuing a clandestine affair with Alex, and both of their lives begin to be affected, as well as their relationships with friends and family.
A.T. Sayre has gone the micro-budget route to get his story told, and the viewer is better for it. Floors creak, there are no "sets"- apartments are small and cramped, and the cast is not decked out in designer clothes or driving sparkling automobiles. This lends gravitas and realism to Sayre's plot, and held my interest. The first forty minutes of the film are a mess, full of peripheral characters and some life minutiae that bored me silly, but once Alex and Anna meet and begin their relationship, Sayre gets down to business and I was engaged. Delante and Peck are very natural, and make Anna and Alex seem natural together. I liked their scenes together. The rest of the supporting cast is very good, from Anna's circle of friends- Miguel has a fantastic scene confronting Anna and Alex, to Alex's increasingly ticked-off bandmates. The title of the film hints at a selfishness Anna and Alex are falling victim to, but I never disliked them or their affair.
"Whatever Makes You Happy" has a few hiccups here and there, but it is a solid effort.
Stats:
(2010) 120 min. (* * * *) out of five stars
-Written and Directed by A.T. Sayre
-Cast: Rachel Delante, Tyler Peck, Jon Miquel, Jason Lane Fenton, Kerri Patterson, Jamie Renee Smith, Kachina Dechert, Phil Berry, Vanessa Leigh, Irina Peligrad, Dana Jay Bein, Mike Hastings, Casey Preston
(Not Rated)
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