Happy 61st Birthday, Todd Solondz! Born today in 1959, this American playwright and filmmaker is known for his style of dark, socially conscious satire.
His work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on the "dark underbelly of middle-class American suburbia," a reflection of his own background in New Jersey.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Solondz, years later, wrote several screenplays while working as a delivery boy for the Writers Guild of America.
Later, Solondz earned his undergraduate degree in English from Yale University/ Afterwards, he attended the New York University's (NYU) Graduate MFA Program in film and television. However, he did not complete a degree.
In the later 1980s, Solondz wrote and directed the 1989 American comedy film 'Fear, Anxiety & Depression'.
The feature is an episodic comedy about neurotic fledgling playwright Ira Ellis (Solondz) and his frustrating interactions with the opposite sex in the East Village of Manhattan.
The film contains several musical interludes, including three songs written for the film. Stanley Tucci appears in one of his earliest roles as an old, disliked acquaintance of Ira's named Donny, who takes up playwriting on a whim and becomes the toast of Off-Broadway.
The role Solondz played in the film has reminded some critics of Woody Allen.
Solondz later told a critic, "I don’t want to see that movie again. It was a painful demoralizing experience, so I prefer not to dwell on that."
During the early 1990s, Solondz worked as a teacher of English as a second language to Russian immigrants in New York City, New York, and has described the experience as positive.
The frustrations of his first feature led Solondz to swear off any further involvement with the industry.
More than five years later, an attorney friend urged Solondz to give filmmaking another go, and promised partial finance for any project Solondz came up with.
The end result was the 1995 American coming-of-age black comedy drama/independent film 'Welcome to the Dollhouse'.
The film gave a balanced and sometimes sympathetic portrayal of the bully antagonist Brandon McCarthy (Brendan Sexton III), and its depiction of Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), the ostensible protagonist and victim of the story, showed her as deeply flawed and sometimes cruel.
'Welcome to the Dollhouse' was later a major success among critics, and a moderate success at the box office as well. It was a festival hit, with screenings all over the world. On a budget of $800,000, the film went on to gross $5 million at the box office.
Roger Ebert was vocal about his love for the film, giving it four stars out of four and placing it at Number 5 on his "Best of 1996" list.
The following year, 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' went on to win the Grand Jury Prize. This occurred at the 18th Sundance Film Festival in January 1996.
One month later, it won the C.I.C.A.E. Award for Forum of New Cinema. This occurred at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival in February 1996.
Two years later, Solondz wrote and directed the film of which he is best known. This was the 1998 American black comedy/drama film 'Happiness'.
This dark ensemble-comedy of the film is centered on the three sisters. Joy Jordan Mellencamp (Jane Adams) moves through lackluster jobs with no sense of purpose. Now employed teaching adults, she is dating a student, Russian taxi-driver Vlad (Jared Harris).
Helen Jordan (Lara Flynn Boyle) is an esteemed poet who becomes amused by her perverted neighbor, Allen Mellencamp (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
And eldest sister Trish Maplewood (Cynthia Stevenson) is married to Bill (Dylan Baker), a psychiatrist with a very disturbing secret life.
'Happiness' went on to win the FIPRESCI Prize for Parallel Sections at the 51st Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year. This was for the film's bold tracking of controversial contemporary themes, richly-layered subtext, and remarkable fluidity of visual style.
In September, 'Happiness' won the Metro Media Award. This occurred at the 23rd Toronto International Film Festival in September 1998.
The following year, 'Happiness' was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture. However, it did not win. This occurred at the 56th Golden Globe Awards in late January 1999.
Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, and rated it Number 5 in his Top 10 Films of 1998. In his review, he wrote: "...the depraved are only seeking what we all seek, but with a lack of ordinary moral vision...
In a film that looks into the abyss of human despair, there is the horrifying suggestion that these characters may not be grotesque exceptions, but may in fact be part of the mainstream of humanity....
It is not a film for most people. It is certainly for adults only. But it shows Todd Solondz as a filmmaker who deserves attention, who hears the unhappiness in the air and seeks its sources."
Due to adult themes, 'Happiness' received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which caused the film to be limited in distribution.
The film also had difficulty in advertising. For that particular reason, 'Happiness' surrendered its NC-17 rating and was instead released unrated.
Referencing Solondz's previous 'Welcome to the Dollhouse', it was nominated for the Golden Lion. However, it didn't win. This occurred at the 61st Venice Film Festival.in September 2004.
Three years later, Solondz was honored with the Filmmaker on the Edge Award. This occurred at the 8th Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) in June 2007.
Two years later, Solondz spawned 'Happiness' with its pseudo-sequel: the 2009 American drama/comedy film 'Life During Wartime' (formerly known as 'Forgiveness').
Solondz had said that the film is a companion piece to 'Happiness' and 'Welcome to the Dollhouse'.
Among his credits, Solondz is also known for directing 'Storytelling' (2001), 'Palindromes' (2004), 'Dark Horse' (2011), and 'Weiner-Dog' (2016).
According to Solondz's personal life, he is an atheist. In the online newspaper and entertainment website The A.V. Club in the article "Is There a God?", he answered the question "Well, me, I'm an atheist, so I don't really believe there is. But I suppose I could be proven wrong."
Solondz's work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on "dark underbelly of middle-class American suburbia," a reflection of his own background in New Jersey.
Solondz has indeed established himself as one of the most eloquent interpreters of suburban hell and general human dysfunction, himself a product of the suburbs of which he portrays in his films.
Solondz has been active from 1984–present.
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