HappyThankYouMorePlease

HappyThankYouMorePlease is the directorial debut of How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor, who wrote and stars in the indie romance. He plays Sam, a writer living in New York City in his late 20s. En route to a meeting, he happens upon a young boy named Rasheen, who's been left alone on the subway. Not sure what to do, Sam becomes Rasheen's reluctant guardian for the next few days. As ill-equipped Sam deals with his new charge and finds a possible love interest (Kate Mara), we meet his friends: unlucky-in-love Annie (Malin Akerman) and couple Mary Catherine and Charlie (Zoe Kazan and Pablo Schreiber).

Radnor's first feature is an impressive effort; the individual stories are only moderately compelling, but the slice of life he portrays makes for a disarming and completely enjoyable experience. To find out why else I liked about HappyThankYouMorePlease, just read more

HappyThankYouMorePlease was one of my favorite films at Sundance last year, and I'm glad to see that it's finally getting a theater release in March. How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor wrote, directed, and stars in this comedy about a group of twenty-somethings who are trying to sort out their careers and love lives.

Yes, it's a story we've heard before, but this time around the characters are a little more unique. Radnor plays a struggling writer who takes in a young boy after he's abandoned in the subway; Malin Akerman plays his friend who is determined to stay upbeat despite her withering dating life and her alopecia. The explanation of the title is definitely a bit cheesy — the key to happiness is giving gratitude and asking for more — but this little film is still a charmer. To check out the first trailer, just read more

I've had a little crush on Ted Mosby Josh Radnor ever since I got hooked on How I Met Your Mother, and I've had high hopes for the side project he's been working on between seasons. Radnor makes his debut as a triple threat writer/director/actor in HappyThankYouMorePlease — but don't let the quirky title turn you away. I'm happy to report the film is among my favorites from Sundance 2010, so let's get into the good stuff.

• Who's behind it? I already mentioned that Radnor wrote and directed the script, and he has plenty of talent supporting his cast, including Malin Akerman, Tony Hale, and Kate Mara.
• What's it about? The movie centers around Sam Wexler (Radnor), a writer in his late 20s living in New York and struggling to find meaning in his love life and career. On a particularly fateful day, Sam befriends and takes in a young boy who's been separated from his foster family and meets a potential love interest in Mississippi (Mara). Akerman plays Sam's best friend and confidant Annie, who's got her own issues to deal with (particularly with a co-worker (Hale) who won't give up until he gets a date with her). Finally, Zoe Kazan plays Mary Catherine, a lifelong friend of Sam's who is struggling to figure out whether or not she and her boyfriend have a future together in New York.

To see why I enjoyed the film so much, just read more