Happy Times

"An hilarious look at life and the pursuit of happiness!"

2000 1h 42m ZH

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 62

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Zhao is an ageing bachelor, who has not been fortunate in love. Believing that he has finally met the female of his dreams, Zhao makes her believe that he is opulent and consents to a lavish wedding.

“An hilarious look at life and the pursuit of happiness!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Zhao Benshan
Lao Zhao
Dong Jie
Wu Ying
Dong Li-Fan
Wu Ying's Stepmother
Fu Biao
Little Fu
Li Xuejian
Li
Qibin Leng
Wu Ying's Stepbrother
Gong Jinghua
Aunty Liu
Niu Ben
Old Niu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Gai Zi
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Hou Yong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by San Bao. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Zhao Benshan and Dong Jie and Dong Li-Fan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An hilarious look at life and the pursuit of happiness!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zhang Yimou directs. Hou Yong behind the camera. San Bao scores. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
326 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Hou Yong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by San Bao. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Zhao Benshan and Dong Jie and Dong Li-Fan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "An hilarious look at life and the pursuit of happiness!".
9IMDB entry: tt0303243 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.