They probe human iniquity or they make allowances for the weaknesses of men and women. Thus, you'd expect a work of art powerful enough to break down barriers, but Happiness turns out to be as accusatory as the Starr report. By contrast with Happiness ' tirades against New Jersey, Pleasantville , which also opens this Friday, is a milder satire of suburban life. It's all in the attitude.
Happiness concerns three generations of a dysfunctional New Jersey family.
Hoffman plays Helen's neighbor, who is making obscene phone calls to vent his aggression and loneliness. Helen, who receives one of the calls, is turned on, which scares the pale, dumpy Allen into further shyness. So does the pedophiliac Bill, whose efforts to get close to a neighbor boy are based on parts of Lolita left out of the recent movie version. I'll be shocked if Pleasantville isn't a hit, as shocked as I was supposed to be by the semen in Happiness . Pleasantville is a straightforward fable.