Happy Thank You More Please | Movie Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Mar 15, 2011

As he is wont to do, How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor (“Ted”), ventures out on his own in his familiar stomping ground of New York to carve a niche for himself through the now typical triple-threat of writing, directing and starring in his own Sundance-primed debut ‘Happy Thank You More Please.’

The film tells the story of Sam (Radnor), a writer in New York City, who pens (and lives) short stories, but isn’t quite ready for the novel. Sam’s off-beat tale intertwines with the equally odd adventures of his best friend the alopecia-sufferer (Malin Akerman of ‘Watchmen’) and the girl he calls his cousin (Zoe Kazan of HBO’s ‘Bored To Death’). 'Happy Thank You More Please' documents their relationships as they shrug off the sarcasm and cynicism pressed on them by the world as they become actual adults.

In what is being somewhat-appropriately dubbed ‘Garden State 2,’ Radnor takes a page out of Zach Braff’s handbook and takes to his own wings in an attempt to prove to the world that he’s got what it takes to shell out some solid ‘indie cred’-worthy product. With a soundtrack similar to an updated version of Braff’s, and clearly influenced by Radnor’s hyper-indie sensibilities -- including hits from Dr. Dog, Cloud Cult and Blind Pilot, with in-house musician jaymay covering the ground not swathed by other quirky indie love songs.

Radnor’s classically trained past, as was evident in Ted’s over-acted character on How I Met Your Mother, is still around in his debut feature-length. Though with Radnor calling his own shots, his vast array of swift idiosyncrasies seem more at home than on his straight-laced CBS sitcom.

Anyone scared off by the 'Garden State' crack can take solace in the fact that while maybe not as much of a hot-button topic as Braff was in his prime, Radnor is far more talented an amateur. Definitely gifted with an ear for dialogue and an eye for timing and setting, Radnor wows audiences as he takes the reigns of his own well-crafted story with a mighty cute heart.