Happiness for Beginners Review: A Subdued Ellie Kemper Leads Bland Netflix Rom-Com
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Happiness for Beginners being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Ellie Kemper’s comedic skills go to waste in Netflix’s Happiness for Beginners, a bland rom-com that is greatly lacking in either romance or comedy.
Happiness for Beginners is based on the novel of the same name by Katherine Center and follows Kemper’s Helen Carpenter, a recently divorced middle-aged woman who signs up for a wilderness survival course to reset and escape from the trials of life.
However, some of her old life follows her to the woods as her little brother’s best friend Jake, played by Yellowstone‘s Luke Grimes, is among the eccentric group of fellow wilderness survivalists joining her on the hike.
On the surface, the film has all the makings of a great rom-com. It has two highly talented leads, a strong supporting cast, and the perfect premise from Center’s hilarious and heartfelt novel.
However, it is executed very poorly, from the beginning to the end. The first mistake it makes is that it tries to stick close to the book’s storyline, but also skips the first five chapters.
This, of course, doesn’t work as it skips vital information, including the days that Helen and Jake spent together leading up to the hiking trip in the book.
In the film, they just happen to show up for the same trip and seem to be little more than strangers going into the woods.
The problem with this is that, once on the hike, there are suddenly all these moments of tension, tenderness, and jealousy between them that seem to speak of a shared history.
Since no shared history is confirmed or explored, the feelings that develop between them don’t seem to be the result of comic irony or a slow-burn romance, it just seems unnatural and random.
This may also be why there’s a lack of chemistry between Grimes and Kemper–the film just doesn’t give them the time to develop a believable romance.
Grimes especially feels very stiff in his role as Jake. Jake is just kind of, well, there.
The film touches very briefly on a medical condition he’s struggling with, but otherwise, he seems to have no real story or personality.
He’s very sweet, but he just doesn’t have anything, like charm, charisma, humor, mystery, or cynicism, that would normally be expected for the lead in a rom-com.
Kemper is a little more convincing as Helen, an awkward, quirky, and endearing middle-aged woman, who feels a little curious about life and love, but is holding herself back.
However, very little of her comedic skill shines through, which is very surprising for The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star. Her performance just feels subdued and tempered.
She embodies the character she’s playing well, but there’s nothing that stands out in her performance.
At times, the supporting cast of the film outshines the two leads, despite being purposefully flat and often exaggeratedly quirky and eccentric.
They’re an entertaining and pretty heartwarming bunch. Nico Santos is delightful as the diva-like Hugh, while Ben Cook is everything readers imagined Beckett would be from Center’s book.
The bickering, bantering, and rallying among the supporting cast is amusing, charming, and even heartwarming at some points.
However, the film never really finds its footing. It evokes mild amusement from time to time, but there is no romance to be found.
Viewers will see that Jake likes Helen from the beginning, but there are no sparks or electricity between them and seemingly no rhyme or reason as to why or how they end up together.
Despite being very bland, there are a few perks to Happiness for Beginners.
While it fails at being a rom-com, it doesn’t quite fail at putting a spotlight on companionship and nature.
The setting is beautiful and some of the blandness may be that it’s just capturing what a real stroll through the woods looks like, with moments for quiet self-reflection.
Viewers might not come away feeling giddy from humor or steamy romances, but they might come away thinking about the merits of trying something new and getting a breath of fresh air when life gets too wearisome.
Happiness for Beginners doesn’t give viewers what it promises with its rom-com genre and talented cast, but its bland premise makes for some peaceful watching material and might stir up yearnings for the wilderness.
What did you think of Happiness for Beginners? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Happiness for Beginners is streaming now on Netflix.
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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a freelance writer from Oshkosh with a penchant for TV, film, and celebrity news. Her work can also be found on Screen Rant, The Mary Sue, and Monsters and Critics. When she's not writing professionally, she enjoys blogging, running, watching film and television, and conducting research for her future novel.