Latest news with #HappyFace
The Review Geek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Happy Face Season 1 Review – An ineffective blend of true crime and crime drama
Season 1 Episode Guide Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 2.5/5 It's hard to know what to feel while watching Happy Face. Do you enjoy the creepy thrills of a convicted serial killer of eight women sending his granddaughter drawings of herself and other women? Or do you feel the guilt and unease the killer's daughter experiences as the identity of her father chips away at her life? This dissonance comes about from the fact that Happy Face Season 1 is loosely based on a true story. It is adapted from a podcast and autobiography by Melissa Moore, daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson who is also known as the Happy Face Killer. The series turns Moore into Melissa Reed but keeps other broad details about Keith and her life pretty much the same. The story kicks off when Keith, who has been arrested for eight murders, calls the TV show where Melissa works as a makeup artist and confesses to one more. But he will only give the details to Melissa. What follows is an investigation into this additional murder led by Melissa and Ivy, a producer for the show. At the same time, as news about Melissa's connection to the serial killer leaks, it begins to affect her family. Her husband Ben and her kids, 15-year-old Hazel and 9-year-old Max, start feeling the ramifications as friends and coworkers find out the family's link to Jesperson. Hazel sees the difference in how students treat her at school, while Ben faces issues at work. Things get more tense because Melissa, who is focusing on the investigation, is forced to be away from her family at critical times. As a whole, the Happy Face Season 1 follows a two-pronged approach to this story. On the one hand, it has all the markers of a crime thriller. Melissa and Ivy's investigation into the new murder offers a solid mystery to hang on to. We see them look for clues, collect evidence and speak to witnesses like in any other crime drama. The series pulls the puzzle together, piece by piece and with a few twists in between. At the same time, there is a sense that Keith is hiding something or planning something much bigger. This side of the series leans into the drama. Tensions are high and the story is meant to offer a riveting and twisted mystery, though it does not always succeed. It also emphasises the unique thrill of a serial killer story — Dennis Quaid's performance as Jesperson is designed to give you the creeps and pique curiosity about what goes on inside the head of a man who killed eight women. On the other hand, the show explores how Melissa's ordinary white picket fence life gets disturbed when people find out she's related to a killer. Friends change their behaviour, little Max loses a playmate, and prejudice raises its ugly head. Melissa and Ben face issues in their relationship. Through clips from the past and events of the present, the series also looks at how many people suffered at the hands of Keith — Melissa, her brother Shane, their mother June, and even relatives of Keith's victims. This is meant to be a more grounded version of storytelling, a realistic portrayal of life as a killer's relative. The two sides of the show simply don't work together. You can't easily pair high thrills, mystery and suspense with an unvarnished, grave depiction of reality. But the show forces them together and even flits between the two sides of the story in each episode. It leads to a tonally jarring experience where the mood shifts with every scene, which is just not a fun watch. The inconsistency and clashing of moods get worse in the second half when the story tries to up the ante on both ends. While the murder mystery reaches a natural high point, the family's side of the tale enters dramatic territory. This is largely due to the storyline around Melissa's daughter, Hazel, who happens to get in touch with her grandfather and build a connection. This plotline is ominous and leads to some chilling moments between them, trying to straddle the line between a depiction of the real world and a melodramatic crime thriller. Additionally, Ben decides to take certain steps that feel like a huge jump for his personality and are definitely not characteristic of a regular dad. This is a weak attempt at giving otherwise flat characters some semblance of nuance and deeper characterisation. But instead of doing that, it just feels like watching them jump from one genre to another as they engage in increasingly absurd behaviour. It doesn't help that the pacing is off and certain episodes feel stretched out, with even the murder mystery losing its momentum. Annaleigh Ashford's portrayal of Melissa begins to get monotonous and some of Quaid's dialogues feel laughable instead of creepy. Despite all the time the story spends on talking about guilt and duty and justice, it doesn't actually address these themes in a meaningful way. Ultimately, Happy Face tries to be two kinds of stories in one and, as a result, fails. What's left is an uneven and easily forgettable mess. And that's just on its merits as a TV show. We've not even begun to dissect the real question — what it really means to take a story about real violence and real victims and turn it into entertainment.
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Happy Face Episode 8 – Release Date, Schedule, Where To Watch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The eighth and final episode of Happy Face is upon us. Here's when and where to tune in. Happy Face episode 8 is titled The Star, and it promises to send Paramount+'s popular crime drama out in dramatic fashion. The streamer's full episode synopsis, which you can read below, teases a life-changing moment for Melissa as she makes a massive step towards cracking the case. It follows episode 7, My Jesperson Girls, in which Melissa faces a family secret with colossal implications. Ben, meanwhile, made a bold move in his obsession to keep his family insulated from harm. Annaleigh Ashford stars in Happy Face Annaleigh Ashford stars in Happy Face Paramount+ If you've not been following it, Happy Face is inspired by the true life story of Melissa G. Moore (played by Annaleigh Ashford) who, at 15, discovered her father was a serial killer known as Happy Face (played by Dennis Quaid). The series sees her race against time to prevent an innocent man going down for her father's crimes. Happy Face Episode 8 Release Date Happy Face episode 8 will be available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ on May 1, 2025. Happy Face Episode 8 Release Time Happy Face episode 8 airs on Paramount+ at 12am PT / 3am ET. Here is when Happy Face episode 8 airs in your time zone: 12am PT 3am ET 6am CDT 7am EDT 11am UTC 9pm AEST Happy Face Episode List Episode 1: The Confession — March 20 Episode 2: Killing Shame — March 20 Episode 3: Was It Worth It? — March 27 Episode 4: Controlled Burn — April 3 Episode 5: Don't Dream — April 10 Episode 6: Lorelai — April 17 Episode 7: My Jesperson Girls — April 24 Episode 8: The Star — May 1 What Will Happen in Happy Face Episode 8? As per Paramount+'s official synopsis: "Melissa solves the case. Keith suffers an attack. Ben faces consequences for his actions." Happy Face Cast Happy Face stars Annaleigh Ashford, Dennis Quaid, and James Wolk. Here is the Happy Face cast list. Annaleigh Ashford as Melissa Reed James Wolk as Ben Reed Tamera Tomakili as Ivy Campbell Khiyla Aynne as Hazel Reed Benjamin Mackey as Max Reed Dennis Quaid as Keith Hunter Jesperson Kathleen Duborg as June Jesperson Jennifer Spence as Renee Charles Zuckermann as Bassett David Harewood as Dr. Greg Patrick Gilmore as Cody O'Neill Connor Paton as Tyler Marci T. House as Joyce Teach Grant as Ashton McBride River Codack as Josh Zara Nikou Sichani as Victoria Ava Telek as Summer
Newsweek
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Happy Face Episode 7 – Release Date, Schedule, Where To Watch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Paramount+ has released the plot details for the penultimate episode of Happy Face, titled My Jesperson Girls. Read on for the full release date, schedule, and where to watch. In Happy Face episode 7, the case takes a dark turn as Melissa faces a family secret - the implications could be devastating. Ben, meanwhile, makes a bold move in his obsession to keep his family insulated. It follows last week's episode 6, Lorelai, in which Melissa and Ivy unearth shocking unknown footage of Heather, and Joyce's secret is revealed. If you've not been following it, Happy Face is inspired by the true life story of Melissa G. Moore (played by Annaleigh Ashford) who, at 15, discovered her father is the serial killer known as Happy Face (played by Dennis Quaid). The series sees her race against time to prevent an innocent man going down for her father's crimes. Annaleigh Ashford plays Melissa Reed in Happy Face Annaleigh Ashford plays Melissa Reed in Happy Face Paramount+ Happy Face Episode 7 Release Date Happy Face episode 7 will be available to stream on Paramount+ on April 24, 2025. New episodes of Happy Face premiere on Paramount+ each Thursday through May 1, 2025 Happy Face Episode 7 Release Time Happy Face episode 7 airs on Paramount+ at 12am PT / 3am ET. Here is when Happy Face episode 7 airs in your time zone: 12am PT 3am ET 6am CDT 7am EDT 11am UTC 9pm AEST Happy Face Episode List Episode 1: The Confession — March 20 Episode 2: Killing Shame — March 20 Episode 3: Was It Worth It? — March 27 Episode 4: Controlled Burn — April 3 Episode 5: Don't Dream — April 10 Episode 6: Lorelai — April 17 Episode 7: My Jesperson Girls — April 24 Episode 8: The Star — May 1 What Will Happen in Happy Face Episode 7? As per Paramount+'s official synopsis: "Melissa faces a dark family secret that leads her back to Ash. Ben takes drastic measures to protect his family. The case takes yet another turn." Happy Face Cast Happy Face stars Annaleigh Ashford, Dennis Quaid, and James Wolk. Here is the full Happy Face cast list. Annaleigh Ashford as Melissa Reed James Wolk as Ben Reed Tamera Tomakili as Ivy Campbell Khiyla Aynne as Hazel Reed Benjamin Mackey as Max Reed Dennis Quaid as Keith Hunter Jesperson Kathleen Duborg as June Jesperson Jennifer Spence as Renee Charles Zuckermann as Bassett David Harewood as Dr. Greg Patrick Gilmore as Cody O'Neill Connor Paton as Tyler Marci T. House as Joyce Teach Grant as Ashton McBride River Codack as Josh Zara Nikou Sichani as Victoria Ava Telek as Summer
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Be a Tourist: Events around town April 11-13
Ryan recently released his first stand-up special. The one-hour Netflix original Happy Face follows a wealth of television appearances and a non-stop headlining tour. Armed with the unique perspective of growing up in rural Idaho to become a favorite in the New York stand-up comedy scene, he's one-of-a-kind. To purchase tickets and see show times, click here. The National Club Basketball Association will host its Women's National Championship in Erie April 11-13! The event will be held at the Hagerty Events Center. Eight NCBBA teams will advance to the National Championship tournament. The event will be a single-elimination, three-day tournament that will ultimately determine the 2025 National Champion. For more information, click here. Journey through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. Click here for tickets and show times. April showers bring May flowers, so Inner-City Neighborhood Art House will make some on-theme art at the Art House's Second Saturday on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. They have umbrellas to decorate and spring to celebrate. Due to the scale of this project, it is anticipated it will take the full two hours to complete. For more information, click here. This year's show provides a great opportunity for you to redecorate your home with a one-of-a-kind handmade craft item or fill your Mother's Day shopping list. This event is also a great gift for your mom. Come spend the day together shopping and enjoying all the local artisans have to offer. Enjoy tasty items from many local and regional vendors offering pastries, chocolates, spices, sample local wines & more. All attendees will receive a recyclable tote bag compliment of UPMC Health Plan. For more information, click here. Indulge in samples from over 20 of the finest regional brewers, showcasing the best craft beers our area has to offer. Whether you're a seasoned beer enthusiast or just looking to explore new favorites, this is the perfect opportunity to discover unique brews, enjoy live entertainment, and connect with fellow craft beer lovers. For more information, click here. Free event! Visits with the Easter Bunny from 12pm-4pm, visits with friendly animals, fun photo ops, food, drinks and sweet treats, scavenger hunt, live music and more. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Happy Face' stars Annaleigh Ashford, Khiyla Aynne on real-life serial killer story: 'Crime and violence and trauma is a family event'
Starring Annaleigh Ashford, Dennis Quaid and Canadian Khiyla Aynne, the Paramount+ show Happy Face is inspired by the real-life story of Melissa G. Moore, who at 15 discovered that her father was a serial killer, called Happy Face. In the series Melissa, played by Ashford, reconnects with her incarcerated father Keith, or the Happy Face serial killer (Quaid), as she tries to figure out the circumstances of her father's never-revealed ninth victim. Speaking to Yahoo Canada from Toronto, Ashford and Aynne discussed commitment to execute this show with best interests of the victim's families and the perpetrators families in mind, and some of the most impactful moments of the series. The actor also spoke about how the Happy Face set was a safe space to explore the dark themes of the story. What do you know about the happy face killer? Perhaps we should just explain why you're here. Because he's my father. I'd love to know, you know, it's not particularly typical that there's a real life case like this that's taken on in a series and the people involved or the person involved is so, um, kind of core to the creating of it. Um, and maybe just start with you. Um, was it nice to have Melissa kind of be so a part of the process. One of the amazing things about working on this project was not only getting to spend time with the real Melissa Moore, um, but it was learning from her about the machine of true crime and how Not only has our culture become desensitized to true crime, but we've also forgotten that it's about real people and there are real victims, and anytime these stories are um fictionalized or there are documentaries or there are podcasts, there is a great potential for these families, um, both of the victims and of the perpetrators, um, that they are re-traumatized. So. Um, she, uh, taught us about how to navigate that gracefully and also I've just, uh, you know, right when I read the script and started, um, discovering more about her story, I was really inspired by The act of service, um, that she is offering to families who've been touched by the trauma of for you, I think, you know, your character is so interesting because I think that there's like this whole side piece of like a grandchild trying to like understand what's happening and she's kind of far removed because it wasn't her childhood. Um, was it interesting to be able to What kind of like the generational impact that something like this could have. Yeah, I was definitely interested in um exploring that especially because Hazel found out at 15 that her grandfather was the happy face killer and Melissa Moore found out at 15 that her dad was the happy face killer so I thought that was a really interesting piece of my character and. Hazel is just very layered and complex, and as she goes through the series she experiences bullying and hard relationships with her peers at school and with her family, and she definitely learns a lot, especially near the end of the series, and she really finds her identity, which I think is really nice. One of the elements that I really loved was um everything about Melissa's lipstick and what that kind of means in so many different things, you know, from the beginning when her daughter comes, it's like, let me take this off and let me put this one on you, and she kind of throw when she's about to go on TV is like putting it on like it's kind of like her armor that she's putting on this lipstick. I love that you called her, her lipstick her armor. We used to call it that all the time. We used to say. You know when you're hiding, you have to hide behind something. And so for her she was hiding behind the mask that she had made and as the series goes on as the show continues, um, week to week, you see the facade begin to crumble you know as as her secret comes out, she um her true self begins to break through. um, and it's another one of those reminders that you can't run from your secrets. They will they will find you that they will always find the light. I think one of the most interesting kind of elements is episode 4, because I think I'm talking about the trauma that Melissa went through. What was it like for you to just have to go to that place where you really have to live out the kind of um impact of that trauma that she that she felt even in her adult life. Episode 4 is actually one of my favorite episodes because it's not only about The trauma that Melissa experienced with men in her life, um. Outside of the relationship of her father, you know, um. It's, it's where we discovered that she was abused by men in the same way that her father abused women. Um, talk about trauma with a capital T, and it also shows That crime and violence and um trauma is a family event. And when one of these violent acts occurs, it is a stain in the family history of both the victims' families and the perpetrators' families. Um. And and and everybody who was, you know, close to a person who committed a crime like this, all of them feel guilt and shame in equal measure. They feel a responsibility for a crime that they did not commit. And so what does that feel like? What does that look like? And I hope it makes makes viewers um question what they would do. I imagine that being able to kind of execute some of those scenes so beautifully also required you to be. on set to kind of go there and feel like you had the space to really kind of explore that. Did you feel like the set was particularly conducive to you, kind of being able to go to some of those harder places for the character? Yeah, you know, we had some really heavy material and we wanted to be absolutely respectful of the content and any of the real um people that were involved in this story. And then because it was so heavy, I wanted to make sure that it was a happy place to work. You know, because happy face is dark, that doesn't mean that our, our, our set can can't be an actual happy place to work. And so we had a lot of laughs. I like to let the air out of the room in between takes and it genuinely was one of the the um the really happiest places I've ever had on on set. Um, I loved our I loved our crew. I loved our cast and. Jen Casiso, our wonderful showrunner, and Liz Gs, our producer, they really set the tone for a um for a wonderful place to work. There's definitely more emotional scenes than others, of course, especially in episode two, but we had an amazing crew and set just filled with wonderful people, and they were all super supportive, very collaborative, and It was definitely nice to have that to be able to go to those places and film those more heavy scenes on those days for sure.
