Todd Solondz

With such films as "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Happiness," "Palindromes" and "Life During Wartime,"writer-director Todd Solondz has spent years chronicling the secret underbelly of unfulfilled potential, thwarted ambition and unresolved desire in American suburban life. With his newest release, "Dark Horse,"Solondz adds to the mix his singular take on the comedy convention that inevitably sees an immature schlub romantically linked with a woman who probably should be out of his league.

With such films as "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Happiness," "Palindromes" and "Life During Wartime,"writer-director Todd Solondz has spent years chronicling the secret underbelly of unfulfilled potential, thwarted ambition and unresolved desire in American suburban life. With his newest release, "Dark Horse,"Solondz adds to the mix his singular take on the comedy convention that inevitably sees an immature schlub romantically linked with a woman who probably should be out of his league.

There is simply something strange about seeing Todd Solondz in the sun-drenched environs of a Southern California beachside resort. The New York-based filmmaker, writer and director of the films "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Happiness" and "Storytelling" -- all set on the East Coast -- was in Los Angeles for a few days of screenings and Q&As for his latest film, "Palindromes."

In the movies of Todd Solondz, the world is a horrible place populated by miserable or unkind people. While there's plenty of misery and unkindness in the director's seventh full-length feature,"Dark Horse," Solondz also gives us something new, or at least less self-consciously misanthropic. "Dark Horse" is a glum little sort-of comedy brushed with melancholic sweetness; for once, Solondz seems less interested in scoring points off his characters than in creeping into their shy, sad interior worlds.

"People who are right are never confident, never well loved, never well liked." Writer-director Todd Solondz is smiling as he says this. He is delivering the bad news to a crew member that tonight's shoot, already late, may run even later (it's now past midnight). It's a weirdly penetrating remark, but then, on the face of it, Solondz is a weird guy.

Don't be surprised when the laughter "Happiness" creates sticks in your throat: It's supposed to. Writer-director Todd Solondz has come up with a desperate comedy of longing, misery and misplaced need whose effects are exactly calibrated. But along with being a handful in ways it intends, "Happiness" is also troubling in ways it does not.

With "Storytelling," Todd Solondz continues his acidly funny exploration of the darker side of life in the suburbs of New Jersey that began with "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (1996) and "Happiness" (1998). This time he also probes the ambiguous, paradoxical nature of filmmaking in its relationship to fictional and documental narrative. Solondz contemplates the awesome capacities of the motion picture camera, which can exploit and distort the reality that it can record or simulate with precision.

Todd Solondz is a shock jock of a filmmaker, a writer-director who always keeps a glass of cold water for throwing at the audience handy. Which almost but not quite prepares you for "Life During Wartime," his latest sharp-edged comic tragedy about families, forgiveness and the unsettling ironies that can threaten to unravel even an ordinary life. The film, a taut and tantalizing mix of salty bites and lazy blanks, stars Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney and Ally Sheedy as the latter-day Jordan sisters Joy, Trish and Helen, respectively, that Solondz first introduced in the uneasy brilliance of 1998's "Happiness."

In the movies of Todd Solondz, the world is a horrible place populated by miserable or unkind people. While there's plenty of misery and unkindness in the director's seventh full-length feature,"Dark Horse," Solondz also gives us something new, or at least less self-consciously misanthropic. "Dark Horse" is a glum little sort-of comedy brushed with melancholic sweetness; for once, Solondz seems less interested in scoring points off his characters than in creeping into their shy, sad interior worlds.

Hallelujah! There might indeed be a lack of sure-fire best picture nominees but, in this filmgoer's opinion, it has been one of the finest years for the movies in recent years ("Oscar Campaigns Hit the Beach," by Robert W. Welkos, Dec. 8). In addition to Roberto Benigni's stunning "Life Is Beautiful" and Don Roos' smart and sly "The Opposite of Sex," both deservedly mentioned as contenders in your article, there was also the audacious and spectacular "Happiness" by Todd Solondz and "Gods and Monsters" by Bill Condon, all better written, better acted and far more rewarding than last year's best picture winner by that "King of the World" director.

Todd Solondz is a shock jock of a filmmaker, a writer-director who always keeps a glass of cold water for throwing at the audience handy. Which almost but not quite prepares you for "Life During Wartime," his latest sharp-edged comic tragedy about families, forgiveness and the unsettling ironies that can threaten to unravel even an ordinary life. The film, a taut and tantalizing mix of salty bites and lazy blanks, stars Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney and Ally Sheedy as the latter-day Jordan sisters Joy, Trish and Helen, respectively, that Solondz first introduced in the uneasy brilliance of 1998's "Happiness."

Directors don't normally travel with theme music, but as Todd Solondz walks in the door, the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" comes over the house stereo. It's a fitting bit of serendipity, given that Solondz's films are rich in explorations of the dark side of human nature. Or, as his critics would have it, he's a misanthrope, creating miserable, pathetic characters and then driving them further into the depths of despair. "Americans are so in love with redemption," he says a bit later, toying with a forkful of pasta.

There is simply something strange about seeing Todd Solondz in the sun-drenched environs of a Southern California beachside resort. The New York-based filmmaker, writer and director of the films "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Happiness" and "Storytelling" -- all set on the East Coast -- was in Los Angeles for a few days of screenings and Q&As for his latest film, "Palindromes."

In Los Angeles, script reading can be a badge of honor, a sign of position. "Don't bother Mommy now, she's reading scripts." The little tyke is expected to back off, knowing there's no appeal. Mommy's mired in her "weekend read," plowing through scripts of unproduced movies. It means Mommy's important. Now another kind of script is gaining a new popularity: the published versions of movies already made and in some cases even playing at the multiplex.

With "Storytelling," Todd Solondz continues his acidly funny exploration of the darker side of life in the suburbs of New Jersey that began with "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (1996) and "Happiness" (1998). This time he also probes the ambiguous, paradoxical nature of filmmaking in its relationship to fictional and documental narrative. Solondz contemplates the awesome capacities of the motion picture camera, which can exploit and distort the reality that it can record or simulate with precision.

"People who are right are never confident, never well loved, never well liked." Writer-director Todd Solondz is smiling as he says this. He is delivering the bad news to a crew member that tonight's shoot, already late, may run even later (it's now past midnight). It's a weirdly penetrating remark, but then, on the face of it, Solondz is a weird guy.

They still torture the old way in junior high. They call you awful names. They tease and torment the weak. The awkwardness is unbearable, the hopelessness unrelenting. It's enough, Todd Solondz says, to make you laugh. This alchemist's ability to turn misery into something bitingly funny defines "Welcome to the Dollhouse."

Directors don't normally travel with theme music, but as Todd Solondz walks in the door, the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" comes over the house stereo. It's a fitting bit of serendipity, given that Solondz's films are rich in explorations of the dark side of human nature. Or, as his critics would have it, he's a misanthrope, creating miserable, pathetic characters and then driving them further into the depths of despair. "Americans are so in love with redemption," he says a bit later, toying with a forkful of pasta.

Hallelujah! There might indeed be a lack of sure-fire best picture nominees but, in this filmgoer's opinion, it has been one of the finest years for the movies in recent years ("Oscar Campaigns Hit the Beach," by Robert W. Welkos, Dec. 8). In addition to Roberto Benigni's stunning "Life Is Beautiful" and Don Roos' smart and sly "The Opposite of Sex," both deservedly mentioned as contenders in your article, there was also the audacious and spectacular "Happiness" by Todd Solondz and "Gods and Monsters" by Bill Condon, all better written, better acted and far more rewarding than last year's best picture winner by that "King of the World" director.

Don't be surprised when the laughter "Happiness" creates sticks in your throat: It's supposed to. Writer-director Todd Solondz has come up with a desperate comedy of longing, misery and misplaced need whose effects are exactly calibrated. But along with being a handful in ways it intends, "Happiness" is also troubling in ways it does not.