Happy, Texas **** (1999, Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn, William H Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas, Ron Perlman) – Classic Movie Review 317

Co-written and directed by Mark Illsley, this ingratiating 1999 comedy drama is both hilarious and skilfully done. It’s a bit naughty, but it’s very nice.

There’s delicious comedy playing from the excellent Steve Zahn and Jeremy Northam as a couple of fleeing conmen escaped convicts, Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr and Harry Sawyer, who by chance arrive on the run at the American small town of the title. There, so that they don’t get arrested by the Sheriff, they find they have to pose as a gay pair of beauty-pageant experts, pretending to be the actual gay couple who are expected in town to host its imminent Little Miss Fresh Squeezed beauty pageant.

The two cons are straight, naturally, so they soon get interested in the local women, particularly Josephine ‘Joe’ McClintock (Ally Walker), a banker who distrusts men and has given up on love, and Doreen Schaefer (Illeana Douglas), an attractive but dowdy and badly dressed teacher.

William H Macy is also very funny as the local lawman, Sheriff Chappy Dent, who it turns out has a few sexual secrets of his own (that’s the film’s naughty bit), and Ron Perlman plays the marshal.

Walker and the shamefully neglected Douglas are effective, too, though the movie’s not about them and they’re kind of set dressing in the script.

Ed Stone is also credited with the screenplay. The director has a cameo as a Guard on a Horse with a Shotgun.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 317

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