The Happening (2008)

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan

Writer (WGA):

M. Night Shyamalan (written by)

Release Date:

13 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening.

Plot:

A paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity. |

Plot Keywords:

Director Cameo | Stylized | Nebraska | Hanged Man | Clouds

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Mark Wahlberg	...	Elliot Moore
Zooey Deschanel	...	Alma Moore
John Leguizamo	...	Julian
Ashlyn Sanchez	...	Jess
Betty Buckley	...	Mrs. Jones
Spencer Breslin	...	Josh
Robert Bailey Jr.	...	Jared
Frank Collison	...	Nursery Owner
Jeremy Strong	...	Private Auster
Alan Ruck	...	Principal
Victoria Clark	...	Nursery Owner's Wife
M. Night Shyamalan	...	Joey
Alison Folland	...	Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin
Kristen Connolly	...	Woman Reading on Bench
Cornell Womack	...	Construction Foreman

Also Known As:

Green Planet (USA) (working title)
The Green Effect (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and disturbing images.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | India

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | Australia:MA | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16 (cut) | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15A | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:U | USA:R (certificate #44343) | Brazil:16 | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

100 W 18th St, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Barry Mendel Productions

Trivia:

M. Night Shyamalan's first film to have an R rating.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The characters board a train for Harrisburg, which is in the south central part of the state. The train takes them only to Filbert and stops. However, Filbert is much further west than Harrisburg (south of Pittsburgh).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Woman Reading on Bench with Hair Pin: I forgot where I am.
Woman Reading on Bench: You're at the place where the killers meet to decide what to do with the crippled girl.

Movie Connections:

References Ghostbusters II (1989)

M. Night Rocks

This latest movie by the redoubtable Mr. Shyamalan is being ripped to shreds. Seems Hollywood's former golden boy earns nothing but disgust and disdain nowadays. Say what you will about this guy, his movies are DIFFERENT. He does not follow the all-too-standardized templates, prevalent in every genre from action to horror to sci-fi. Are his films flawed and uneven at times? Yes, every single one has been. They all have this in common.

They also have in common uncommon storytelling, fantastic mood, appropriately chilling scores, and engender a sense of unease in the viewer that almost no other filmmaker has been capable of.

Were there mistakes in the plot, character development, editing? Yeah. And you know what? Nonetheless, I was enthralled. This man imbues his films, however flawed, with passion, something lacking in most big-budget summer blockbusters. Whatever his technical shortcomings, this is a filmmaker who truly loves to tell a story. Golden Boy status-worthy or not, I applaud Shyamalan and his latest movie. The man has got the cojones to think originally and make movies that no one else could, or would. "The Happening" rocks! -MKA, Ft Walton Beach, FL