Life During Wartime

Life During Wartime, a film by Todd Solondz, is a sequel to his 1998 film Happiness, although the characters are all played by different actors. This may have been off-putting if I had seen Happiness, but I had not, which if Life During Wartime is an indication, I am glad I didn't.

This is one of those films where we drop in on some people's lives for a moment with no reason why and no explanation of why we suddenly leave. The plot revolves around three sisters Trish (Allison Janney), Joy (Shirley Henderson), and Helen (Ally Sheedy), all of whom are totally screwed up. Trish has three kids, who she over-shares with, except for telling them their father is not really dead but in jail for molesting a child. Joy is married to an ex-con, who is struggling to change his ways, but also visited by a dead former boyfriend who has committed suicide. Although we only meet Helen for a short time, she seems to be the worst of all. She is a raging bitch and possibly the most self-absorbed person ever, it only takes a few seconds to start disliking her. Full minutes pass before we start disliking other characters in this movie, but eventually they all prove to be unlikable or worse uninteresting.

I would very much like to have the hour and a half I spent watching this movie back.