Happy, Texas

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Anybody with a soft spot for fakers, who either identifies with them or just admires their chutzpah, is going to get a kick out of Happy, Texas.

Film.com Gemma Files

Sweet and hilarious, a classic crowd-pleaser which elevates rather than eviscerates the homespun eccentrics who make up its cast of characters.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

A hoot, a hilarious comedy that's smart and caring, yet sexy and ingenious enough that it just might stir up some of that elusive "Full Monty"-style box-office appeal.

Time Richard Corliss

An easy charm, a cleverly unforced sense of humor and a benignity toward all its genially oddball characters. If moviegoers skip this one, they'll be missing a real treat.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Keeps the laughs coming, and a dynamo named Steve Zahn is the cheif reason why. It's a one-joke movie, but the cast knows how to sell it.

Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams

So full of winning performances and so disarmingly uncynical in its affection for its characters, it manages to leave you with a Texas-size grin on your face anyway.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

A fresh, well-written comedy that doesn't lag, casts its actors against type and has a real love for its characters.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Zahn's dazed and confused, droopy-mustached dude steals every scene he's in...a movie that will make you smile and put a lump in your throat.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

I can't imagine anyone not feeling entertained by Happy, Texas.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The performances are first-rate, with the always inventive Macy a standout as the hopeful, tormented Chappy, and Zahn a scream as the lovably imbecilic Wayne.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This is one of those comedies that doesn't pound us on the head with the obvious, but simply lets us share vast amusement.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

It's a funny and occasionally poignant movie.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

So soft-hearted it wouldn't hurt a fly.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Along with a lot of 10-gallon laughs, Happy, Texas rustles up plenty of goodwill for its larcenous, sexually ambiguous leading men.

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

A very cynical exploitation of the current Hollywood vogue for things queer. Still, the film is a must-see.

Variety Emanuel Levy

Steve Zahn shines throughout Mark Illsley's feature debut, Happy, Texas, elevating this eccentric small-town comedy a notch or two above its level of writing.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A comedy of '90s sexual inclusiveness as effervescent as a cold sody pop -- and about as intoxicating.

TNT RoughCut Bill McLochlin

Zahn, however, is definitely the star of the film, with his quirky portrayal of Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. getting all of the laughs, and none of the credit.

San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego

It's soft-edged fun that loses direction (or, given the scattershot plot, directions).

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Don't expect a lot, and you'll probably enjoy Happy, Texas, as I did -- mostly. At the very least, Steve Zahn will make you laugh.

Film.com Peter Brunette

What makes the film ultimately successful, though, is the outstanding comic talents that inhabit it, especially Zahn and Macy.

TV Guide Ken Fox

A wonderful premise that delivers solid laughs and has a heart as big as the state in which this farce unfolds.

Austin Chronicle Sarah Hepola

A humble comic fable, puttering along with a sunny grin, a goofy sentimentality, and not much else.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

All the right elements for a rollicking farce, except one: The movie isn't funny.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Thank heaven for William H. Macy, whose portrayal of Happy's sheriff strikes the only honest note in a film that earns its laughs the cheap way.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

If we had a story we could believe, we'd be in stitches.

Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan

Illsley's fine cast, with a riotous contribution from William H. Macy as the sheriff who falls for Harry, plays out the comedy without condescension.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Its charm and humor will be overshadowed for some by the exploitation of gay stereotypes--which is ironic, since their arch usage ultimately allows the movie to be progressive, if only slightly.

USA Today Mike Clark

Neither the actors nor their characters engender much affection.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

Sputters to a dead halt right out of the gate. One labored scenario follows another.

Dallas Observer Scott Kelton James

Screwball mistaken-identity crapfest...it's just utterly plain, a confection so bland you don't even care that it doesn't really make any sense at the end.