From living in an underground bunker in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, to roughing it for love in Happiness for Beginners. The upcoming Netflix rom-com stars Ellie Kemper as a newly-divorced woman looking to start over in life, so she joins others in a survival treat so she can…well, hike through a journey of self-discovery.
“I liked that Helen is a grump,” Kemper told EW about the film. “She’s a little pessimistic. She’s going through a really tough time, and she doesn’t really believe in the goodness of things. It felt like that would be fun to play because it is so different from the optimistic, funny, bright-eyed women that I’ve played in the past. I wasn’t intentionally speaking up for something like that, but once I read this script, I thought, ‘Oh, this is, this is really interesting to me.’ Everybody has different sides to them, and I haven’t been able to portray that as much on TV and in film.”
Of course, movies about people on just such a road to recovery are nothing new. This one is based on the novel by Katherine Center, and also stars Yellowstone‘s Luke Grimes, Nico Santos, Blythe Danner, Ben Cook, Shayvawn Webster, Esteban Benito, Gus Birney, and Julia Shiplett. The film is directed by Vicky Wight, who adapted another Katherine Center adaptation with The Lost Husband in 2020.
Happiness for Beginners hits Netflix on July 27th.
Helen has always lived her life as far from the edge as possible. Newly divorced, she joins a quirky group of strangers on a survival course for the “Adventure of a Lifetime” with the hope of learning how to live – and love – again. HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS stars Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Nico Santos, Blythe Danner, Ben Cook, Shayvawn Webster, Esteban Benito, Gus Birney, and Julia Shiplett. Directed by Vicky Wight and based on the wildly popular novel by Katherine Center.
