Happy Times
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 26, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Just as Zhao uses his comic gifts to create an affecting human, so Dong's performance as Wu is a triumph of honesty and tact. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This is a film that goes its own way to the end as it asks the audience, "What you just saw, were they happy times or not?" The question is a good one, and the answer, like this film, is sure to stay with you. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyMark Olsen
Anchored by two fine performances, this bittersweet comedy about second chances just might signal a new beginning for the director as well. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
A wise, gentle and sad new comedy by Zhang Yimou. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Zhang is working in a popular sentimental mode here, but his connection to the material -- and to us -- is heartfelt and without a trace of condescension. As a filmmaker, he's the opposite of a con artist, and his new movie is a gentle marvel. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
May disappoint those who expect a more traditional Chinese setting. But, despite its modern look, this is far from being a Western film. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Walks a sometimes-shaky line between tenderness and schmaltz. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Shares many things with ''Not One Less'' and ''The Road Home,'' among them a grass-roots sensibility that ultimately puts a premium on hope and simple kindnesses, while acknowledging the seductive power of money and superficial success. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Happy Times may be the last of the "little" films from this remarkable director for some time. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Had O. Henry set his stories in China, he might have come up with Happy Times, a comedy for which the adjective ''bittersweet'' could have been invented. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
An extremely funny, ultimately heartbreaking look at life in contemporary China. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Crude as its build-up may be, the movie pays off with unexpected delicacy.
70
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
It manages to be sentimental without seeming trashy.
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
A tender, tragic allegory in which grave human emotions play out against a small, simple backdrop. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The girl's blindness may have been meant to symbolize a trusting populace, but she's the one character who clearly sees what's what and who is trustworthy. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Still worth watching for Dong Jie's performance -- and for the way it documents a culture in the throes of rapid change. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Clearly not Zhang's forte, his directorial touch is neither light nor magical enough to bring off this kind of whimsy, his characters often seem contrived and unbelievable, and his movie comes off as slightly forced and naggingly unsatisfying. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
This is a film strictly for hardcore sentimentalists, despite its straight-ahead depiction of the harsh urban landscape in contemporary China. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Happy Times doesn't buck the clichés so much as infuse them with feeling, playing off the pleasant, unforced rhythm of two characters who pine for simple companionship. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If I found it creepy beyond all reason, that is no doubt because I have been hopelessly corrupted by the decadent society I inhabit. Read full review
40
VarietyDerek Elley
Small but delightful tale about a dyed-in-the-wool spieler who develops a soft spot for a blind girl dumped in his care. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
The film's maudlin focus on the young woman's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of Hollywood heart-string plucking. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Schmaltz served in a hand-painted cup, Happy Times culminates in a Chekhovian complement of two narrated letters that have a mutually corresponding force the rest of the film only hints at. By then, our hopes have fatally diminished. Read full review
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