I'll Make You Happy

An upbeat little number, peopled with the larger-than-life characters you would expect from its K’Rd setting, and shot through with a cheerful warmth rarely seen in New Zealand movies

I’ll Make You Happy, New Zealand, 1998

Ample Films
Director: Athina Tsoulis
Producer: Liz Stevens
Script: Athina Tsoulis, Anne Tsoulis, from an original screenplay by Anne Tsoulis
Director of Photography: Rewa Harre
Editor: Chris Plummer
Art Design: Simonde Norden
Costume Design: Emma Aubin
Sound Design: Chris Burt
Original Music: Michael Lawry

With: Jodie Rimmer (Siggy), Ian Hughes (Drew), Michael Hurst (Lou), Carl Bland (Lester), Jennifer Ward-Lealand (Mel), Rena Owen (Mickie), Sandy Ireland (Fran), Raybon Kan (Mouse)
Special Guest Appearance by Lucy Lawless

35mm, 90 minutes, R16-contains sex scenes

Teenage bad-girl, Siggy has big plans. Motivated by love, greed and anger, she comes up with a plan to highjack her sleazy pimp Lou’s money-making scheme. I’ll Make You Happy is a comedy heist in which Siggy inspires her friends to break out of their mundane lives. With an unlikely team including agrophobic Lester, mild-mannered Drew, dominatrix Fran and sex workers Mickie and Mel, she pulls off a heist involving decoy cops, sexual distractions, misleading code words and narrow escapes. The adventure brings out the best in everyone, especially Siggy and Lester, who reach a new understanding and discover a future.

“Sisters Anne and Athina Tsoulis scripted, and latter directed, this breezy comedy about sex workers who decide to rip off their sleazy pimp. Though international theatrical prospects are slim, there are bouncy possibilities for ancillary markets, where this chirpy outing should keep couch potatoes happy. Jodie Rimmer is sweet as a teenage prostitute who shares an apartment with an older man who is both hypochondriac and agoraphobic. She overhears her boss plotting a drug deal, and enlists the help of various friends and fellow prosties to steal the loot. The caper involves a funny sequence in which a dominatrix 'entertains' a police officer while his uniform is being used elsewhere. The film is modestly packaged and the basic plot terribly familiar, but Rimmer is an attractive heroine and director Tsoulis keeps the action bubbling along cheerfully enough, backed by some lively music.” — David Stratton, Variety, 17 May 1999

“… It’s an upbeat little number, peopled with the larger-than-life characters you would expect from its K’Rd setting, and shot through with a cheerful warmth rarely seen in New Zealand movies. In fact, whenever the story could take a turn for the dark or the violent (as it would in most other films, here and elsewhere), it deliberately chooses to go off in the other direction. Fantasy, maybe – but definitely refreshing. It’s not all giggles, though. The main character, teenage hooker Siggy is harbouring a secret, and Lester – he of the drawerful of unread letters – is her odd, sad flatmate, whose story is slowly revealed through the course of the film. Somehow, though, these plotlines are never as strong or developed as the main action, where the energy comes from Siggy’s efforts to help Lester achieve an ambition. To do this, she needs money and, when she sees how she can get her hands on some and at the same time render a little pain to her over-demanding pimp, Lou, the resulting heist story can’t help but take over and elbow aside the personal stories. That’s okay, because it means that Siggy has to call on her friends to help, and we get to see some of New Zealand’s most prominent actors obviously enjoying the chance to just have fun together. It’s no ensemble piece, but it does hint at a sense of family among characters usually portrayed as displaced or dysfunctional. And, although dazzlingly dressed and coiffed by clearly enthusiastic wardrobe and makeup departments, they fill the screen with a delightfully down-to-earth quality. The varying degrees of experience show in the performances, but we’re not striving for deep character here. Rimmer is an appealingly perky Siggy, and Bruce Hopkins makes the most of his bewildered cop. Comedian Sandy Ireland is particularly memorable for her scary outfits and no-bullshit turn as Fran, the dominatrix with a soft centre. (Okay, I know she’s Australian, but the part is unquestionably hers.) … It’s quite a feat to write a story like this, with plots and endings that tie up smoothly and humorously, and Tsoulis and her sister Anne have managed it well. Maybe not all the jokes fire, and the competing plotlines sometimes make for n unevenness of rhythm, but the film has enough oomph to keep moving along, aided by a live music track and Rewa Harre’s vigorous, intimate photography (this is his first feature, too, and it confirms the promise of his work in short film). I’ll Make You Happy is the first off the block of 11 New Zealand features this year. Funded principally by generosity, determination and credit card, it’s a testament to film makers who can’t be bothered waiting for permission to work. It’s not the ideal way to go, but they’ve pulled it off. And, yes, it will make you happy.” — Helene Wong, Listener, 10 April 1999

Screenings: I'll Make You Happy screened on 1 October 2008, the first in a season selected by the people of Wellingtonista.com