This is Todd Solondz's semi-sequel to Happiness, which sees the same characters, all recast, in a post-9/11 world, struggling with ideas of guilt and forgiveness.

If you wanted a better Happiness, this is it.

If you wanted less Happiness, you won't want this either.

If you haven't seen Happiness, you owe it to yourself to give it a try!

What I mean when I say that this film is better than Happiness is that it's more thoughtful.  This also means that it's a little less in your face.  Although Wartime begins with some traditional Solondz excess, it quickly becomes at once a quieter and more intense film than its predecessor.  The film is essentially a small collection of very long dialogue sequences, and contains nothing particularly "theatrical" at all except for the high drama of a very troubled family.

The cast is uniformly excellent and the film has a great and unique look to it.  The film is an inspiring one for screenwriters looking towards the indie side of things, showing that good characters and complex thought can get you through a movie with almost no money spent.  This is a very small, very quiet movie which deals with much bigger stuff than anything you see at the multiplex.  

The comedy will not be for everyone.  In fact, it probably won't be for most people.  As with Happiness, the comedy is so black and so uncomfortable that you may not feel like laughing at all.  The comedy is almost invariably tied to the horribleness of people and the burdens and pain which they are willing to place on each other, but in its own truthful way, it really is hilarious.  I was laughing out loud consistently through the film.

A slice of "different" cinema that's better than most of what you're likely to see this year.  Or the year it came out.  Or whenever.  Highly recommended.  But see Happiness first; and if you don't laugh at Happiness, you won't be laughing at this one.  And if you don't laugh at Happiness, you probably won't be having a good time.  Nasty movies, both of 'em.  

I'm a big fan of Happiness and Solondz so naturally, I had to see this.

A very interesting film, to say the least. The casting, in particular. Despite the fact that these are all the same characters that appeared in Happiness, they've definitely developed since their incarnations and the new actors reflect them in ways it's sometimes hard to see the previous ones doing, especially Ciaran Hinds. I think Allison Janney and Michael K. Williams seem to bring a lot more weight to their roles than their predecessors as well. At the same time, the actors in both films seem to represent their respective incarnations extremely well and it's hard to say which one is better than the other and the criteria for judgment changes, depending on the film. It all makes the dichotomy between the two films really strong and loaded.

I think Happiness was a more "entertaining" film. It was a lot more blatantly satirical and catered a lot more as far as shock value is concerned, though I understand Solondz doesn't intentionally produce shock value. It was also a much more disturbing film.

At the same time, Life During Wartime seems the darker film, despite how extreme Happiness is. It deals with the repercussions of the first film in a much colder, more serious and subdued way and the satire is downplayed for the most part. I think the themes are much harder as well. This one seems to be a more straightforward drama compared to Happiness. I thought the "faggot" scene was hilarious though. There's definitely humor there if you look for it and once you find it, it seems so obvious.

I'm honestly finding it hard to talk about this one really. I guess at the end of the day, both films compliment each other nicely and between them, have a lot going on, all of which is explored in distinctly different facets. Happy to have both honestly.

Seen all of Solondz's films at this point. Happiness is probably tied with Welcome to the Dollhouse as my favorite. Not sure where this one fits, honestly. They're all full of intrigue. I think Palindromes was the darkest though. Definitely the hardest to shake off and considering how hard both this and Happiness were, that's saying something.