Terribly Happy
Oscilloscope Pictures | Release Date: February 5, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Not a horror movie but a witty, expertly constructed psychological thriller. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Terribly Happy isn't, but it is wonderfully unhinged, and a painstakingly constructed meditation on a place where good and evil meet, mate, and make sour times sublime and, dare I say it, beautiful. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
This is a smart, melancholy crime picture, which takes its cues from the title of the perverse old standard Christensen plays on her stereo at night: “You Always Hurt The One You Love.” Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Inventive, droll and sharp, the film is rich in comic darkness but quite humane and genuine as well. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
The film gets seriously weird as it goes along, but without losing its sense of direction or taste for offbeat humor. Read full review
80
VarietyAllisa Simon
Entertaining and full of surprising twists, this highly cinematic tale of a Copenhagen policeman working punishment duty in the provinces plays with genre in a manner that can be compared with the Coen brothers or David Lynch. Read full review
80
Village VoiceNicolas Rapold
Cedergren is a little too bland, but that works with Hansen's air of haplessness and sets him apart from the colorful locals. His self-inflicted reckoning is a horizon visible throughout the movie, and the bog outside of town is a thudding but effective metaphor of willful repression. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Terribly Happy must surely be the greatest Danish Western ever made. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
The actors are charmingly low-key, and the lensing, by Jorgen Johansson, adds to the offbeat aura. Whatever you do, don't miss the booze-guzzling showdown. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
It may not sound funny, but there's a bleakly comic air about the story, and a bit of surrealism, suggesting the most caustic side of the Coen brothers. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
I've only been to Denmark twice and have no idea if this is even remotely a Danish situation, but it could fit right fine in the Old West. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorAndy Klein
Genz and Erling have constructed a story so clever that the pleasure of following its twists is enough in itself. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
This deadpan police story produces unexpected chills. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
An enjoyably involving mystery-thriller. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Lurid and stylish, this 2008 Danish feature plays like a cross between "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "High Noon," with a dash of Gothic thriller. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
The film is vigorous exercise for those who prefer their mysteries knowing and knotty. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Such dark doings won't be for everyone, but fans of similarly dry Nordic fare -- like the works of Aki Kaurismaki -- will be happy to have found it. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The characters are intended to be slightly stupid, but the writing isn’t necessarily smarter. Read full review
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