A break up. Or rather, an attempted break up, sets up the main characters in the beginning of the hilarious film. Tiempos Felices (Happy Times) is an intelligent Spanish comedy about how hard it is to end the modern relationship. An “anti” romantic comedy” if you will.

The plot of the film surrounds Max, a mellow cartoonist, who while trying to break up with his girlfriend Monica, can’t quite seem to get the words out and she assumes he is proposing. As one can imagine, hilarity ensues while the characters struggle to sort out the misunderstanding.

While watching the film, I was especially taken with the stylistic choices. Director Luis Javier M. Henaine made a bang with his feature debut. Henaine seemed to use influences from directors like Wes Anderson or Gia Coppola through his use of mise-en-scene (the setting or surroundings in an event). I appreciated the use of steady shots throughout the entire story because I felt it made the overall feel of the film much cleaner. The color pallette and certain shot compositions displayed a striking similarity to the style Wes Anderson uses in a lot of his films.

In big blockbuster movies it is common to find films about searching for love. This film, however, brilliantly and comically displays the dissolution of a relationship. Happy Times beautifully demonstrates how contradictory humans are with each other, and within their relationships.

The ending, at least for me, left me satisfied. This is a great, well made, light comedy for all kinds of people.