Maybe it's my age but I remember when The Happening first came out and thinking how hilarious the whole thing was. The improbable kidnapping of a Mafia don by the looney "hippies" portrayed by George Maharis and Michael Parks takes the viewer on a "what if" journey where everything turns out unexpectedly.
Anthony Quinn, the Don, tries without fail to get name recognition and respect from the kidnap gang but they fail the name recognition contest and treat him as someone being taken on their ride, which is mostly just for laughs.
In one scene Maharis does a mockingly cloying pantomime of deceased actor James Dean which appalls the Don only because he has no idea who James Dean is. Those who remember some of James Dean's more hammy scenes couldn't stop laughing or talking about Maharis' pantomime.
The denouement deliciously plays out when Anthony Quinn discovers that even his mother is reluctant to surrender her lavish lifestyle to ransom him. What follows is comedic revenge on the style one would expect in a Mel Brooks movie.
The ending is as gentle as that found in A midsummers night dream. There are no clashing of symbols, only players wandering away from the scene of a happening which was unscripted and with unexpected results.
It ends well.
Anthony Quinn, the Don, tries without fail to get name recognition and respect from the kidnap gang but they fail the name recognition contest and treat him as someone being taken on their ride, which is mostly just for laughs.
In one scene Maharis does a mockingly cloying pantomime of deceased actor James Dean which appalls the Don only because he has no idea who James Dean is. Those who remember some of James Dean's more hammy scenes couldn't stop laughing or talking about Maharis' pantomime.
The denouement deliciously plays out when Anthony Quinn discovers that even his mother is reluctant to surrender her lavish lifestyle to ransom him. What follows is comedic revenge on the style one would expect in a Mel Brooks movie.
The ending is as gentle as that found in A midsummers night dream. There are no clashing of symbols, only players wandering away from the scene of a happening which was unscripted and with unexpected results.
It ends well.