How many indie dramedies about motherhood have the same title? At least two since another Another Happy Day (2011) is Another Happy Day (2023). While the latter lacks the star power of the former (which features Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth, Ellen Burstyn, and Demi Moore), it does boast a cameo by Carrie (The Gilded Age) Coon, who also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
Under the pen and direction of Nora Fiffer, this Chicago-set pic stars Lauren (Orange is the New Black) Lapkus as Joanna, a freelance artist who is having a difficult time adjusting to being a new mother despite the fact that her husband (Jean Elie) offers a helping hand and her friend (Fiffer) offers baby advice. Of course, the elephant in the room is Joanna’s postpartum depression.
Fiffer’s script is influenced by her own experience. “In my early weeks of motherhood, I was afraid of: dying, my husband dying, my newborn dying. Life everywhere was fragile,” says the filmmaker. “With little sleep, I found myself in a liminal space — lonely and giddy.
“Like many women, I had a difficult time but was never diagnosed with depression. I was too busy pretending everything came naturally. Privately, I figured it was hard because I must be missing something, not getting it. After all, women have been having babies for a long time. We should have it down by now, right? It took me a while, but I finally started talking. And when I engaged in deeper and more honest conversations with parents, grandparents, and even aspiring parents, I felt seen.”
Feeling seen is the main theme and ultimate resolution for the main character. Until she arrives at this place, she reaches out to her strange, estranged aunt Miriam (Marilyn Dodds Frank), an aging actress with health issues.
Whenever the women bond over their non-maternal interests, the film feels fresh. Otherwise, it retraces new mom territory that has already been covered on the British comedy Pramface (2012-2014), the Canadian series Workin’ Moms (2017-2023), and the Australian sitcom The Letdown (2016-2019).
While Fiffer deserves credit for lending authenticity to her screenplay, that doesn’t necessarily make the content entertaining or especially humorous. As a casting director (Tim Kazurinsky) within the movie says, “OK, that was too real. Let’s try it again with a lighter touch.”
Another Happy Day is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.