I wanted to love this film but instead found it to be a big disappointment. I find Happiness, Storytelling, and Palindromes to be tense, daring and funny usually all at once, which is why I always consider Todd Solondz to be among the greatest living American filmmakers. Life During Wartime, however feels like all the elements are in place for a great show but more than half of the fireworks turn out to be duds.

I had the good fortune of being able to see this film as a double feature with Happiness at the American Cinematheque last weekend, and having been quite a long time since seeing Happiness I was pleasantly surprised by how well the film has aged. Not one ounce of awkwardly hilarious tension had been diluted since its release. As Life During Wartime rolled it became glaringly obvious how weak a film it was by comparison. I wouldn’t even say that the film was weaker for the recasting alone (some of the new cast brought very good new energy to the roles), though for the most part the characters seemed like castrated shadows of their former selves. I actually really enjoy Solondz’s interest is playing with characterization through different actors (one of the great strengths of Palindromes), though in this case it did not help the film. The real issue I have with this film is the nearly complete lack of drama, tension or humor. It does aim for those qualities but in nearly every scene they fall short and feel like limp screentests for the actors who did not get cast in Happiness.

The best moments truly are in the trailer. I know that most Solondz fans are going to see it anyway, but be warned and set your expectations low. I would also not recommend watching Happiness or any of his other outstanding work before going, as it will just frustrate you more.

Fortunately it might not be so long before his next film, Dark Horse, which he has already written and is casting. He did mention in the Q&A that the story doesn’t contain much of his typically objectionable subject matter…