The Hicks Happy Hour Review: Family, Marriage and Perception
"What's better than a family that sings together?"
The Hicks Happy Hour is a vibrant, eccentric short film about choosing who and what really matters in the face of constant perception.
The Hicks Happy Hour is about a family band performing for a 1972 TV networks season finale. On the surface, a polished, cheerful family bonds over making music and entertaining the world, but behind the scenes is a dysfunctional family, a broken marriage, and a mother trying her best to hold everything together.
Early on, we learn that husband and father, Richard Hicks is not present for their final performance and the family could be out of a job next season. Forcing Jill to juggle being a mother, hunting down her uninterested husband, being a singer, and keeping the network happy.
Though set in the past, Jill Hicks is like many modern women. She’s hardworking, makes sure the kids are happy and well, and is the fall guy when life is… lifing.
The Hicks Happy Hour eloquently mixes in on-air performances to help move the story along and give the short a musical feel, though it isn’t a musical.
With family being a focal point of this film, we see how far members in these types of relationships are willing to go to entertain. One of the first subtle glimpses of this is learning that brother and sister, Bob and Sherri Olsen, perform I’m in Love with You. The most prevalent example is Jill realizing that many of her efforts to keep everything flowing had amounted to nothing without her husband’s willingness and presence.
Once Jill saw that her children were willing to hurt themselves as performers to be loved the way they thought she wanted, she had to choose her family’s well-being or the spotlight. “I think that’s an uncomfortable, sad truth. It’s hard to see kids like that, and it’s hard, as adults, to remember if our parents ever made us feel that way.” Director Kate McCarthy explains.
This short film will make you laugh, feel empathy, and help you remember the things most important in life.
The Hicks Happy Hour is an awesome watch, having its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
I would to see this film