Is Everybody Happy But Me? (1981/VCI DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C-     Film: C

 

 

Bob Emenegger’s Is Everybody Happy But Me? (1981) was the director’s attempt to save his career from the end of the cycle of speculative exploitation releases he had been making since a 1974 UFO film that started him on his way.  This examination of how people feel and what they can really find satisfying in their lives even managed to get Roscoe Lee Brown and Marsha Mason on board, but it is not that good.

 

Not that it is not detailed.  If you see the film (or read the chapters), you see the various areas examined, like food, money, etc., but it is very slow-moving, muddled, wants to go into spirituality without much success and is somewhat boring.  A few things are unintentionally amusing, but no howlers surface… at least not for me, but maybe for you?  For the very curious only.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image (misidentified as 1.33 on the back of the DVD case) is soft, flat and is likely sourced from a good 16mm print, which is likely how it was shot.  Color is not bad, but the print shows its age.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono also shows its age with background noise, limited fidelity and range, but is consistent.  Extras include trailers.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo