Happy, Texas (film)

Happy, Texas is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Mark Illsley and starring Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam and William H. Macy.

Happy, Texas
Directed byMark Illsley
Produced byMark Illsley
Rick Montgomery
Ed Stone
Written byEd Stone
Mark Illsley
Phil Reeves
Starring
Music byPeter Harris
CinematographyBruce Douglas Johnson
Edited byNorman Buckley
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • January 1999 (1999-01) (Sundance)
  • October 1, 1999 (1999-10-01) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
Budget$1.75 million
Box office$3.9 million

It was a positively reviewed film, and was a box office hit, grossing $3.7 million against a $1.4 million budget.

Plot

Three prisoners escape from a chain gang, and two of them, Wayne and Harry (Zahn and Northam) run away to Happy, Texas, where they pose as the gay organizers of a beauty pageant. They put on a show with the small girls of the town while hiding from the law and waiting for the opportunity to rob the local bank.

Their scheme is complicated by the fact that the local sheriff (Macy) is gay, and he is attracted to the prisoner Harry. Straight Harry, on the other hand, is attracted to local lady banker Josephine (Walker). Meanwhile, "gay" David, also actually straight, gets it on with the local pageant coordinator, Doreen (Douglas).

Cast

Production

With the exception of a few scenes, the film was shot entirely on location in Piru, California. One scene was filmed at Oil Can Harry's in Studio City, Los Angeles.[1]

Release

The film was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired for distribution by Miramax Films who released the film in the United States on October 1, 1999 in 8 theaters.[2][3]

Critical reception

The film received a rating of 81% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 52 critics, stating "Happy, Texas is a simple, funny romantic comedy that benefits from a very talented cast and a good soundtrack." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3/4.

Box office

The film grossed $72,056 in its opening weekend and went on to gross nearly $2 million in the United States and Canada.[3]

Soundtrack
Happy, Texas: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1999
GenreCountry
Tejano
Exotica
Length49:08
LabelArista
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

The soundtrack album for Happy, Texas features a mix of mostly country music by such artists as Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Lee Roy Parnell, Pam Tillis, Brad Paisley and BR5-49. There are also bits of Tejano (Flaco Jimenez) and exotica (Yma Sumac).

Track listing
  1. "Passin' Through" (Randy Scruggs and Joan Osborne) – 5:16
  2. "Good at Secrets" (Kim Richey) – 4:20
  3. "This Little Light of Mine"/"Fort Davis Contestant" (Carly Fink) – 0:17
  4. "Are You Happy Baby?" (Lee Roy Parnell and Keb' Mo') – 2:27
  5. "Ordinary Heart" (Emmylou Harris) – 2:58
  6. "Baila Este Ritmo" (Flaco Jiménez) – 3:17
  7. "After a Kiss" (Pam Tillis) – 4:10
  8. "Me Neither" (Brad Paisley) – 3:22
  9. "Stay" (Alison Krauss) – 3:26
  10. "Half a Man" (Shannon Brown) – 2:35
  11. "Gopher Mambo" (Yma Sumac) – 2:17
  12. "Honky Tonk Song" (BR5-49) – 2:38
  13. "That Buckin' Song (Saddle Sore Mix)" (Robert Earl Keen) – 3:51
  14. "Hurdy Gurdy Monkey Shine" (Road Kings) – 2:17
  15. "Happiness" (Abra Moore) – 4:28
  16. "It's Oh So Quiet" (Happy Girls) – 1:29
    • Cover of song popularized by Björk
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See also

References
  1. "Oil Can Harry's - Los Angeles - Our History". www.oilcanharrysla.com. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  2. Klady, Leonard (October 4, 1999). "'Double' decks 'Kings' at B.O.". Daily Variety. p. 1.
  3. Happy, Texas at Box Office Mojo
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