The Trouble With Bliss

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The Trouble With Bliss

PG-13

Released Mar 23, 2012

1h 37m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

33%

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18 Reviews

28%

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1,000+ Ratings

An emotionally inert 35-year-old (Michael C. Hall) finds his life opening up when he begins a relationship with a former classmate's 18-year-old daughter.

Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

Hall does what he can, but Michael Knowles' film does such a thorough job portraying the ennui and aimlessness gripping its protagonist that the feeling is contagious.

Rated: 2.5/5

Apr 5, 2012

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

The difficulties of adapting idiosyncratic literature to the screen are all too apparent in The Trouble With Bliss.

Mar 23, 2012

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

Striving mightily to be the indie equivalent of a wacky sitcom, "The Trouble With Bliss" fails to draw much humor from farcical situations.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 23, 2012

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Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

Ultimately, "The Trouble With Bliss" is a more positive way to use one's time than Morris is spending his.

Dec 17, 2018

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Karen Benardello

We Got This Covered

The Trouble With Bliss intriguingly showcases the numerous struggles people face as they reflect on their life paths.

Rated: 7.5/10

Sep 17, 2012

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Ron Wilkinson

Monsters and Critics

Packs a lot of Lower East Side quirkiness into 97 minutes. Maybe too much.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 1, 2012

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Hari Safitri S

i like watching movies romance and other. to fill my boredom. even every day there is time for it.🤩

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/23

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georgan g

I kept watching to see if things would make more sense. They didn't. This fantasy plot, which is the only way I can describe it, is at best silly and at worse absolutely insulting.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

sympathitiko me kali mousiki

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Chris Messina's cowboy outfit saved this movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall), aged 35, wants to travel but he has no money. He needs to find a job but has no prospects. Bliss still shares an apartment with his widowed father Seymour Bliss (Peter Fonda) and the premature death of his mother is still present and has left him emotionally closed. Randomly he finds himself in an odd relationship with the sexually precocious 18-year-old Stephanie Jouseski (Brie Larson), the daughter of a former classmate, Steven 'Jetski' Jouseski (Brad William Henke) and juggling advances of his very forward neighbor (Lucy Liu). Morris static life suddenly unravels and opens up in ways that are long overdue.... "The Trouble with Bliss" is a grown up coming of age story, nothing new storyline wise for sure, but this is odd, funny, not 100% coherent and logic, but yet mesmerising somehow. Michael C. Hall´s loser Morris ends up in maybe things and situations that I might not fully buy, but due to great acting from the ensemble it still works. The idea of being stuck in dreams/hopes and not being able to take action is something we all can relate to. We might need that little extra push from fate that puts us in the right direction like in Morris case and the catalyst in the shape of the cute Stephanie (a great and stunning Brie Larson). Maybe not a logic situation/storyline, but in Hollywood anything can happen. And the same goes for Morris interaction with his neighbor Andrea (Lucy Liu). But, the side story that makes no sense at all in my book is the one between NJ (Chris Messina) and Hattie Skunk/Hattie Rockworth (Sarah Shahi). It´s just one big question mark for me, even if it was nice to see a radiant Sarah Shahi. "The Trouble with Bliss" stood out despite its flaws and it entertained me through the running time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

Some people take longer to grow up than others, blissfully unaware of the exasperation they radiate on those around.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Michael Knowles

Director

Michael C. Hall

Morris Bliss

Lucy Liu

Andrea

Chris Messina

NJ

Sarah Shahi

Hattie

Brie Larson

Stephanie Jouseski

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Synopsis

An emotionally inert 35-year-old (Michael C. Hall) finds his life opening up when he begins a relationship with a former classmate's 18-year-old daughter.

Director: Michael Knowles
Producer: John Ramos, John Will
Screenwriter: Douglas Light, Michael Knowles
Distributor: Variance Films
Production Co: Torn Sky Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Partial Nudity|A Brief Violent Image)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.9K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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