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Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, Jeremy Northam

Three prisoners on a chain gang find themselves on the loose when their prison van overturns to avoid hitting an armadillo. Two of them--Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, The Winslow Boy...( read more  read more... )) and Steve Zahn (Out of Sight, That Thing You Do!)--steal an RV that turns out to belong to two junior-beauty-pageant promoters on their way to organize a pageant in Happy, Texas. When Northam and Zahn find themselves stuck in Happy, their only option is to follow through with their masquerade and put on the pageant. Unfortunately, the promoters are known to be gay, which complicates matters when both men find themselves attracted to local women--Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart, Cape Fear) and Ally Walker (While You Were Sleeping, TV's Profiler). The cast is uniformly entertaining, but it's William H. Macy (Fargo, Pleasantville) who really steals the show as the town sheriff with a secret of his own. Happy, Texas was an audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival but didn't do as well in wide release, probably because viewers expected a nonstop farce. But though the movie is a comedy, and a very funny one, its humor springs more from nuances of character than broad wackiness. The situations are a little predictable, but the performers--especially Macy--give it zest and genuine feeling. --Bret Fetzer

Flixster Users

55% liked it

1,757 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

49 critics

PG-13, 65 min.

Directed by: Mark Illsley

Release Date: October 1, 1999

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DVD Release Date: October 2, 2001

Stats: 286 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (286)

  • Stinger839
    February 9, 2008
    Stinger839
    great cast take on a complete crap screenplay. enormously un-funny, and barely watchable
  • puffchunk
    October 23, 2007
    puffchunk
    The light is green.
  • dreamfaeries
    November 3, 2006
    dreamfaeries
    Funny and adorable.
  • Lemure
    April 14, 2009
    Lemure
    Another film that doesn't know what to do in the middle before the big reveal when the small town find out they aren't who they thought they were, so it chucks in this seven way love story and forgets about the comedy which is a shame as there was massive potential for comedy her...( read more)e. Steve Zahn gets most of the laughs while William H. Macy steals the film and is just outstanding, but otherwise it fails.
  • ileo
    December 16, 2007
    ileo
    Hilarious!
  • revbaum
    August 16, 2009
    revbaum
    Can't help it, this movie cracks me up
  • jmg5063
    June 7, 2009
    jmg5063
    Average comedy, enjoyable. William H Macy was great in it.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 14, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    i pretty terrible film really i wouldnt recomend it to anyone!
  • akimoro
    March 31, 2009
    akimoro
    One of my guilty pleasures. This movie is too damn funny!
  • dli4arab
    January 28, 2009
    dli4arab
    Macy and Perlman- How beautiful!

View All Happy, Texas Reviews

Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is one of those comedies that doesn't pound us on the head with the obvious, but simply lets us share vast amusement. full review

View more Happy, Texas reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Happy, Texas Trivia

  • Two criminals on the run are mistaken by the people of a small town as children's beauty pageant coordinators.   Answer »
  • this movie came out in 1999 and is about two escaped convicts disguising as beauty pageant experts. it stars steve zahn,illeana douglas,jeremy northam and william. h. macy.  Answer »
  • Fill In The Blanks: _____ feet _____ Gilmore _____ Texas  Answer »
  • name the 1999 movie that stars: Jeremy Notham, Steve Zahn, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas and William H. Macy as a gay sheriff.  Answer »
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