Sam and Molly aren’t having a great anniversary. In Jared Stern’s directorial debut “Happy Anniversary,” the long-time couple are ostensibly celebrating three years together when Molly (Noël Wells) makes a startling admission: she’s not happy. That’s certainly one way to put a major pin in Sam (Ben Schwartz) offering up relatively benign wish of “happy anniversary” on, you know, their actual anniversary.
What follows in the new Netflix original is a day-long exploration of the pair’s relationship, complete with flashbacks to their earliest days, and a two-pronged perspective that allows both Sam and Molly to explore the good and bad of their bond, and where it might go in the future.
It’s a cute conceit for a rom-com, but it’s also laced through with truth — Stern himself has admitted it’s a semi-autobiographical tale — and the problems that plague Sam and Molly are extremely relatable. She wants to start a family! But she’s scared about making the mistakes of her own parents. Sam can be neurotic! But that doesn’t really make Molly feel very secure. What are they going to do? And how is exactly is this anniversary going to end?
“Happy Anniversary” is Stern’s directorial debut, but he’s no stranger to the comedy space, having penned “The LEGO Batman Movie” and Netflix’s own upcoming “Green Eggs and Ham.” The film also stars Annie Potts and Joe Pantoliano. It was produced by Marc Provissiero, Helena Heyman and M. Elizabeth Hughes. Stern and Scott Fort serve as Executive Producers, and Bryan DeGuire serves as co-producer.
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster for “Happy Anniversary” below.
“Happy Anniversary” will debut on Netflix on March 30.
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