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The Trouble with Bliss (2012)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 4.4/10
Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 12

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 3.2/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 5

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 628

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Movie Info

The Trouble with Bliss tells the story of 35-year-old Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall), who is clamped firmly in the jaws of New York City inertia. He wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; and he still shares an apartment with his widowed father (Peter Fonda), who treats Morris with a mix of disdain and exasperation. When he finds himself juggling a bizarre relationship with the sexually precocious 18-year-old daughter (Brie Larson) of a former classmate and the

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Comedy

Directed By: Michael Knowles

Written By: Michael Knowles, Douglas Light

In Theaters: Mar 23, 2012 Limited

On DVD: Jan 1, 2013

Box Office:$10.9k

7A Productions/Variance Films

The Trouble with Bliss Trailer & Photos

More Photos (5)

Cast

Michael C. Hall
Morris Bliss
Chris Messina
NJ
Brie Larson
Stephanie Jouseski
Brad William Henke
Steven "Jetski" Jousesk...
Sarah Shahi
Hattie Skunk/Hattie Roc...
Peter Fonda
Seymour Bliss
Lucy Liu
Andrea
Scott Johnsen
George
Carol Lambert
Stephanie's Grandmother
Glenn Kubota
Mr. Charlies
Mary Goggin
Mrs. Cruxo
Melanie Torres
The Cindi
Joshua Alscher
Torc
Liz Holtan
May
Kate Simses
Nancy
Gameela Wright
Nadine
Dana Raja
Girl on Rollerblades
Carl Villa Roman
Cab Driver
Rhea Perlman
Sarah Shali

Critic Reviews for The Trouble with Bliss

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All Critics (17) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (12)

Hall does what he can, but Michael Knowles' film does such a thorough job portraying the ennui and aimlessness gripping its protagonist that the feeling is contagious.

April 5, 2012 Full Review Source: Arizona Republic

| Comment

Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

Top Critic

The difficulties of adapting idiosyncratic literature to the screen are all too apparent in The Trouble With Bliss.

March 23, 2012 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Dennis Harvey

Variety

Top Critic

Striving mightily to be the indie equivalent of a wacky sitcom, "The Trouble With Bliss" fails to draw much humor from farcical situations.

March 23, 2012 Full Review Source: New York Post

| Comment

Kyle Smith

New York Post

Top Critic

The kind of movie that gives a bad name to the concept of "quirky."

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Top Critic

Without much actual character to latch on to, most of the actors seem lost and awkward, even the usually dependable Hall.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: NPR

| Comment

Ian Buckwalter

NPR

Top Critic

Knowles and Light indulge in so many indie clich�s, their movie could be used as a film-school case study.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: New York Daily News

| Comment

Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Top Critic

The Trouble With Bliss intriguingly showcases the numerous struggles people face as they reflect on their life paths.

September 17, 2012 Full Review Source: We Got This Covered

| Comment

Karen Benardello

We Got This Covered

Packs a lot of Lower East Side quirkiness into 97 minutes. Maybe too much.

April 1, 2012 Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics

| Comment

Ron Wilkinson

Monsters and Critics

Less than the comic sum of its sardonic parts "The Trouble With Bliss" is a triviality.

April 1, 2012 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

The trouble with Bliss isn't that he's lazy... it's that he's boring.

March 23, 2012 Full Review Source: Television Without Pity

| Comment

Ethan Alter

Television Without Pity

Indie pap, populated by determinedly eccentric characters you don't give a toss about.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

David Noh

Film Journal International

The trouble is they keep trying to make movies about it.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

| Comment

Jules Brenner

Filmcritic.com

Populated with unlikely occurrences and oddball characters, it plays out, to put it most complimentary, like a dull, slower moving After Hours.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Kalvin Henely

Slant Magazine

The film aims to present a mosaic of crazy New York life, but instead seems more like a shaggy-dog story being spun out by an easily distracted barfly over the course of an idle afternoon.

March 22, 2012 Full Review Source: AV Club

| Comment

Alison Willmore

AV Club

Hall's puppy-dog charisma holds up under the strain, but it isn't nearly enough to keep this messy midlife-crisis dramedy afloat.

March 20, 2012 Full Review Source: Time Out New York

| Comment

Sam Adams

Time Out New York

Michael Knowles directs with all the complexity of a TV sitcom.

March 6, 2012 Full Review Source: Compuserve

| Comment

Harvey S. Karten

Compuserve

Audience Reviews for The Trouble with Bliss

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The dynamic between Bliss (Hall) and his old man (played by Peter Fonda), makes the film worthy of your time. Sadly, the film is all over the place. The main character finds himself in various situations, which is very interesting to watch. Unfortunately, it serves no real purpose to the narrative. It just highlights the absurdity of his life and makes it evident that some change is needed.
Great performances! So-so film!

October 25, 2012

Jason Reneau

Super Reviewer

This was really weird, but weird can be good or bad. In this case, I'd say kind of middling. Individual scenes were good, but it didn't add up to a whole lot.

December 13, 2012

Bess Corbitt

The Trouble with Bliss Quotes

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1. NJ: I'll send you some.... buffali hide.
– Submitted by Kathy H (9 months ago)
1. Seymour Bliss: I'm not running a hot-sheet hotel here you know! Is this where all my money's been going?
– Submitted by Kathy H (9 months ago)
1. Seymour Bliss: When I was 35 I had a son, a job, an apartment of my own. See what I'm saying?
2. Morris Bliss: Not really.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)
1. Stephanie Jouseski: Oh by the way, my mom is just thrilled you are taking me to prom.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

Character	Quote
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