Happy, Texas

"81: Happy, Texas" is the 84th overall episode of *Podcast Like It's 1999* covering the films of 1999, hosted by Kenny Neibart and Phil Iscove. The episode was released on June 12, 2019. Kenny was working on 20 minutes of sleep due to his infant son not sleeping.

## Description

"Did you know that in 1999 there was a machine invented called the “Random Sundance Movie Generator?” That’s right! For a fraction of what a screenwriter cost, this machine spit out a complete Sundance movie script in seconds.  Take, for instance, “Happy, Texas.” No human could have come up with this seemingly unrelated combination of elements: Unlikely Lead Actors: Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn Genre: Low-Stakes Heist  Flyover Country Setting: Rural, Texas Town, Present Day (But make it feel like 1983) Quirky Complication: Children’s beauty pageant   Far-fetched Cover Story: Characters pose as a gay couple Expected Price Tag at Sundance: $500k (or $10 million if you can get Harvey Weinstein to a screening).  So join Phil and Kenny as they discuss the Random Sundance Movie Generator’s magnum opus, “Happy, Texas” and the film festival it was created for."

## Kenny's Intro

"Hello and welcome to Podcast Like It's 1999, the podcast where we talk about the films of 1999, **from our early model RV** here in 2019"

## Historical Information

"When bank robbers Harry (Jeremy Northam) and Wayne (Steve Zahn) escape from prison and stumble into the tiny Texas Panhandle town of Happy, they're mistaken for the gay couple who were scheduled to help plan the town's child beauty pageant. As the criminals take advantage of the misapprehension to lie low while planning their next heist, complications include the local sheriff (William H. Macy) and his attraction to Harry, and Wayne's feelings for schoolteacher Ms. Schaefer (Illeana Douglas)."

*Happy, Texas* was released 10/1/1999 and platformed starting in 46th place. It made $3.9M on a $1.5M budget. It has 81% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 55% from audiences. Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars.

## Trivia and Ephemera

* W Magazine article referenced on Brooklynn Prince directing

## Ratings

**Happy, Texas**
 **Phil** | -

During the course of the episode Phil stated he saw this in theaters but he didn't provide a rating.

## Movies Mentioned

Boys Don't Cry, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Cooler, Magnolia, Trees Lounge, Paranormal Activity, Little Miss Sunshine, Raising Arizona, Juno, The Birdcage, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, To Wong Foo, Forces of Nature, Saving Silverman, You've Got Mail, Rescue Dawn, War of the Planet of the Apes, That Thing You Do, Reality Bites, Suburbia, Freak Talks About Sex, Stuart Little, Hamlet, Doctor Dolittle 2, Joy Ride, The Winslow Boy, An Ideal Husband, Gloria, Green Book, The Birth of a Nation, Reservoir Dogs, The Way Way Back, Brooklyn, Son of Rambow, Dope, Our Idiot Brother, The Kids Are Alright, Blue Streak, O Brother Where Art Thou, My Cousin Vinny, Set It Off, School of Rock, The Florida Project, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Miss Congeniality, Moulin Rouge, Naked Gun 33 1/3, Following

## References

1. ↑ Box Office Mojo. Happy, Texas. BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved on May 4, 2022.
2. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes. Happy, Texas. RottenTomatoes.com. Retrieved on May 4, 2022.
3. ↑ Roger Ebert. Happy, Texas. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved on May 4, 2022.