Dawson’s Creek fans will enjoy a real nostalgia fest with the latest film written, directed by and starring Katie Holmes. With her former castmate Joshua Jackson as her co-star, Happy Hours proves that the two performers still have undeniable chemistry and make middle-age look damn good. Unfortunately, this romantic drama receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival is one of those movies in which the characters and situations feel so contrived and inauthentic that you find yourself shaking your head in befuddlement.
The first tip-off for this film about former high-school sweethearts reuniting decades later is the onscreen quote by Alan Watts before the story begins. It’s but the first of many attempts by Holmes to show that she’s done a lot of reading. By the time we hear similar shout-outs to Neruda and Rilke it’s long become apparent that she’s also seen a lot of Woody Allen movies.
Happy Hours
The Bottom Line
Will give you a hangover.
