Feb3

the happy poet.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by beth

and yet again, a movie i’ve never heard of, begged me to take it off the shelves of my local library, and into my living room.

‘the happy poet’ is an indie-comedy, a classic tale of the underdog, fighting the system, and trying to make the world a better place. (and hot-dog free, in this case.) written and directed by paul gordon, who also stars as the lead, ‘the happy poet’ was shot in austin, texas, on a small budget, and released on the film festival circuit. slow-moving, quiet, wryly funny, simply shot, with single piano notes as its only soundtrack, i was quickly drawn into this very human story.

when we meet the poet, he is struggling – in life, in trying to find his happiness, and with no idea about where to go for the answers. he is as dry, deadpan, and honest a character as you will ever meet, and one who has an understated passion for the things he believes in. it’s his sincerity and heart, that draws an eccentric bunch of people to him, each with their own heart of gold, who stay close, keep him motivated, look out for him, and prove their loyalty in interesting ways. I’m happy this poet quietly called out to me from the shelves.

When what we are is what we want to be, that’s happiness. – Malcolm Forbes

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image credit: Cinema Libre

36 responses »

markbialczak on February 3, 2014 at 10:03 pm said:

Your endorsement will set me searching for this indie-circuit hidden goodie, Beth. Although right off the bat, I will fully admit from the movie poster, I’d take the hotdog over the veggie sandwich today, tomorrow and the next day, too.

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- ksbeth on February 3, 2014 at 10:23 pm said:
  
  thanks, mark, i think you’d enjoy this quiet, quirky film. there are so many subtle things in it that speak volumes. so funny too, in an odd way. i’m with you on the hot dog approach to eating. )
  
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  - markbialczak on February 3, 2014 at 10:25 pm said:
    
    Quirky and funny and quiet, I’m in.
    
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smilecalm on February 4, 2014 at 12:50 am said:

may all hot dogs
be set free 🙂

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 5:39 am said:
  
  whatever makes you find your happy is good by me )
  
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ramblingsfromamum on February 4, 2014 at 2:03 am said:

Hands up for the hot dog too…we are having them tonight lol, but I do like a good salad sanga. Nice how you find little gems to watch 🙂 x

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 5:40 am said:
  
  i’m with you jen, and i love finding these little ones )
  
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tric on February 4, 2014 at 2:58 am said:

Just like a lot of books, lots of publicity make a book/film popular but not necessarily good. That was a very pleasant find.

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 5:41 am said:
  
  yes, very true, tric. it was sweet. and funny, and quiet. and those are the ones that sometimes sit on the shelves unnoticed. i was happy to find it.
  
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Glynis on February 4, 2014 at 11:23 am said:

Now you got me wanting to go check this out of my local Library. Nice review.

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 1:18 pm said:
  
  i hope you do, and i hope you enjoy the quiet humor as much as i did )
  
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ParentingIsFunny on February 4, 2014 at 5:59 pm said:

Me too! What they said. I’ll see if my library has it. Sounds very cute.

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 8:23 pm said:
  
  fantastic )
  
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Gray Dawster on February 4, 2014 at 10:23 pm said:

There is nothing like a bit of comedy Beth
and this gem looks very interesting indeed 🙂
Have a wonderful evening and Wednesday
my dear friend 🙂

Andro xxxx

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- ksbeth on February 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm said:
  
  thank you andro, and to you too )
  
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sheridegrom - From the literary and legislative trenches. on February 5, 2014 at 2:36 am said:

Terrific review.

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- ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 3:56 am said:
  
  thank you, sheri )
  
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markbialczak on February 5, 2014 at 1:55 pm said:

I have just found ‘The Happy Poet’ on Netflix, clicked watch and will spend the next two hours of this snowy Syracuse day with your suggestion, Beth!

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- ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 2:47 pm said:
  
  oh, great, i think you’ll enjoy it’s quiet, dry humor. let me know what you think )
  
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  - markbialczak on February 5, 2014 at 3:18 pm said:
    
    I just got done with ‘The Happy Poet.’ I enjoyed the dry wit, sardonic behavior and best of all, the happy ending. Thanks for the tip, Beth. Next I look for the senior table tennis indie film.
    
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    - ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 7:31 pm said:
      
      happy you enjoyed the film, mark. and just wait until ping pong is up on your screen, you’ll love the action )
      
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      - markbialczak on February 5, 2014 at 8:05 pm said:
        
        Yes, the ‘The Happy Poet’ filled my chasm of dry and quirky. I’m ready tor the back-and-forth of the seniors, Beth.
        
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        ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 9:06 pm said:
        
        yeh, that has a totally different feel, and the behind the scenes story lines are as crazy and eccentric at the competition itself )
        
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Roy Sexton (Reel Roy Reviews) on February 5, 2014 at 5:02 pm said:

sounds delightful!!

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- ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 7:32 pm said:
  
  think you’d enjoy it roy )
  
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Liz on February 5, 2014 at 8:03 pm said:

I saw this movie, too! Love indie films. They’re more interested in being interesting, quirky, etc than they are pleasing the masses with special effects, etc. Curious if you’re seen Safety Not Guaranteed. Enjoyed that one, too, though different vibe than Happy Poet. Especially liked the food angle of HP.

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- ksbeth on February 5, 2014 at 9:05 pm said:
  
  i haven’t seen it liz, but i will certainly track it down and see it, thanks for the suggestion. thought you’d appreciate the food angle –
  
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Eric Alagan on February 6, 2014 at 10:49 pm said:

A hot-dog free world? Now, how am I gonna watch my fav ball game?

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- ksbeth on February 6, 2014 at 11:01 pm said:
  
  well, eric. i’m not a veg either, but i enjoyed the movie, and it was good the character was passionate about something, even if it was his food )
  
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iamthisandthat on February 7, 2014 at 1:27 am said:

Well, I know what I am doing this weekend 🙂

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- ksbeth on February 7, 2014 at 5:54 pm said:
  
  hope you enjoy the quiet humor of it all )
  
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  - iamthisandthat on February 8, 2014 at 5:29 pm said:
    
    I enjoyed it very much. Thanks, Beth 🙂
    
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reocochran on February 7, 2014 at 11:30 am said:

Your recommendation of this indie film with heart will be on my search next week to find it! I love quirky and unknown films, so this is ‘right up my alley,’ Beth! You wrote this summary very well and it does make it meaningful how the other supporting characters join into his pursuit of happiness!

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- ksbeth on February 7, 2014 at 5:55 pm said:
  
  thanks, robin and it does take a village sometimes to help us find our happiness )
  
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sued51 on February 8, 2014 at 8:19 am said:

This sounds interesting…I’ll have to check it out!

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ksbeth on February 8, 2014 at 12:41 pm said:

oh, i hope you do, the message is simple and quiet.

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