There are a lot of independent filmmakers who are upset with the low-budget smash-hit horror movie, "The Blair Witch Project," for setting a new precedent for independent cinema "success."
But not Ed Stone and Mark Illsley, the filmmaking team responsible for "Happy, Texas." In their minds, this ensemble screwball comedy was intended to make people laugh -- and if it makes money, then so much the better."Obviously, I'd be lying if I said we didn't want to make a lot of money off this," co-writer Stone said during a telephone interview from Denver. "But we're trying to measure our success by how many people are laughing in the theater. So far so good."
Illsley, who co-wrote and directed "Happy, Texas" agreed, saying the movie is meant to save film comedy from itself. "Today's comedies are too mean-spirited, too dark. They thrive on cruelty and making fun of others. To me, that's too easy. It's a cheap way to get a laugh, and it's not what I'm interested in doing. I'd rather make people laugh and have them feel good about themselves -- just not at the expense of others."
(The two men were in Denver to promote the movie, which has already been playing in many major film markets and which opened in Salt Lake City Friday.)
In "Happy, Texas," two prison escapees, Harry Sawyer (Jeremy Northam, from "An Ideal Husband") and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Steve Zahn, from "That Thing You Do!"), have a series of comic misadventures when they steal a beat-up Winnebago and are mistaken for the vehicle's owners, a pair of gay, beauty-pageant organizers.
Stone admits that it would have been easy to throw in sexual humor and other contemporary crudities. But that was what he and Illsley were definitely trying to avoid. "A lot of people have told us they're surprised at how sweet the movie is, but I think deep down, Mark and I are pretty sappy guys. Maybe that makes us old-fashioned, but what's wrong with that?"
Similarly, Illsley is proud of the film's characterizations, which don't resort to easy stereotypes -- especially that of Sheriff Chappy Dent (character actor William H. Macy), a gay lawman. "Chappy is the best character in the movie. Really. He's gentle and strong and is the real hero of the story."
Some reviewers have compared the film to the 1959 comedy classic "Some Like it Hot," which features some similarities in plot, and in the screwball tone of the piece. But Illsley downplays those comparisons. Instead, he likens "Happy, Texas" to the 1982 comedy "Tootsie."
"I think that was my real inspiration for the movie," said Illsley, "not because they share any plot points, but because it played off the silliness of the situations."
And according to Stone, he didn't really notice any similarities between the film and "Some Like It Hot" until it was brought up by several interviewers. "We must have heard it 10 or 12 times, and just scratched our heads about it. Then I went back and rented the film, and started to see what they meant. But I swear it's not intentional. To be honest, it's flattering because that movie is a classic."
Also receiving raves is Zahn, whose performance garnered him an acting trophy from the Sundance Film Festival and who -- at least in Illsley's eyes -- is someone to watch out for in the next century. "He's so terrific. You just wind him up and watch him. You may think I'm kidding, but you've got to treat him that way because his comic instincts are so great. He just adds so much to the set with his energy."
In fact, Stone credits all the cast members for making the movie funnier. "I'm not going to lie and say that the script wasn't funny to begin with. I laughed my head off while we were writing it. But the situations and the lines are so much funnier when Steve, Jeremy and Bill are all involved.
"We got very lucky when it came to the cast. We shouldn't have been able to get them all, but we did. It sure looked good to show up at Sundance with all these stars around us."
And speaking of the Sundance Film Festival, "Happy, Texas" may have been the feel-good hit of this year's event, but the film and the filmmakers still had to share the spotlight with "The Blair Witch Project" and its crew.
"Those no-good, rotten guys," Illsley said jokingly. "How dare they make all that money? The festival is supposed to be about losing money."
In reality, Illsley, Stone and the "Blair Witch Project" filmmakers had adjoining rooms in Park City during the festival, though their paths rarely crossed.
"It was the strangest thing," said Stone. "When we were in our room, they were gone. And when we were gone, they were there. We kept missing each other. I wasn't even sure I believed they existed until their movie came out in theaters. Maybe that's part of its mystique -- the filmmakers who are never there. Oooh, it's just so scary!"
All kidding aside, Stone and Illsley wouldn't mind even a percentage of "The Blair Witch Project's" box-office success. The bulk of the film's nearly $2 million budget was financed from Illsley's relatives, who put the expenses on their credit cards.
"I'd like to be able to pay them all off -- to say 'I told you so,'" Illsley said. "They haven't exactly pestered me about it, but I can tell they're kind of anxious about their credit ratings. And who could really blame them?"
Deseret News movie critic Jeff Vice can be reached by e-mail at jeff@desnews.com