Todd Solondz catches up with his characters from Happiness, assigns all new performers to take on the roles, and appropriates brand new (and much of the old) anguish and despair with which to struggle and suffer. What could have been an uninspired sequel of sorts or a victim of its stunt casting (not only do different actors take over but the types vary wildly, for example Ciaran Hinds takes over for Dylan Baker, Michael Kenneth Williams replaces Philip Seymour Hoffman, etc.) quickly becomes another piece of inspired storytelling from the master of American middle class misery.
