Tuesday, December 21, 1999

Darling of Sundance Fest, 'Happy, Texas,' rolls into town

Happy, happy! Joy, joy! One of '99's best comedies finally makes it to Corpus Christi this weekend. "Happy, Texas," opening Saturday at UA The Movies (Padre Staples Mall) is a sweet little flick that fired up Sundance last January and was then shoved onto a backburner by its distributor, the mighty Miramax.
   The story is this: a couple of nonviolent felons, Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Steve Zahn) and Harry Sawyer (Jeremy Northam), are accidentally cut loose from a Texas chain gang. They steal a Winnebago belonging to a gay couple and end up in a tiny West Texas town, where they avoid capture by assuming the identities of the RV owners, who, they discover, are professional producers of beauty pageants.
   In a plot that's post-modern Mayberry, the two decide to continue the ruse. They'll choreograph the Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pageant, and while the Happy citizenry gather to watch darling girls in sparkly leotards sing "This Little Light of Mine," they'll knock over the bank.
   But the longer they hang around Happy, the more Harry and Wayne cotton to the town and its friendly townsfolk, who've accepted the outr‚ newcomers with barely a raised eyebrow.
   Secretly, Harry develops a hankering for the lady banker (Ally Walker). Wayne clicks with Miss Shaefer (Illeana Douglas), a schoolteacher who's helping him teach the tiny contestants to shuffle-ball-change.
   And then there's stoic Sheriff Chappy Dent (William H. Macy), who suspects there's something not quite kosher with the supposedly gay pageant boys, but finds himself opening up to one of them about his own secret yearnings.
   By the end, everybody's secrets are out, everybody has somebody to love and the pageant has gone off without a hitch (or the heist). It's a delightful Moon Pie of a movie that's like "Some Like It Hot" with a touch of Coen brothers-style whimsy. It has the heart and a generosity of spirit of other feel-good indie hits like "The Full Monty" and "October Sky."
   Radio waves
   Rex Gabriel, that bad boy in the a.m. on KNCN-FM/101.3, is doing a good thing. The DJ has cut a CD of his best routines (some with current on-air partner Big Al) and is selling it for charity.
   Titled "2 Guys in the Morning Vol. 1," the CD costs $10 a copy and is available only at Tire Town, 5354 Kostoryz. Every penny he makes on the CD will go to a local charity, says Gabriel, most likely the Corpus Christi Food Bank.
   Included are some of the parody songs Gabriel has performed on C-101 over the past nine years, plus some "poetry from the police blotter" and a couple of the live stand-up routines he's done as an opening act for visiting comics.
   Gabriel mixed, edited and recorded the CDs himself on his home computer, a project he calls "the hardest thing I've ever done."
   Only 200 CDs are available, but Gabriel says he'll make more copies if they sell out. And he warns that the CD carries a parental advisory. This morning guy has a good heart, but a raunchy sense of humor.
   Bonfire memorial
   AT&T Cable will telecast a one-hour program today (5:30 & 10 p.m., cable access channel 10) featuring highlights of the recent memorial service for victims of the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy and the complete half-time tribute from the A&M/UT football game played on Nov. 26. The special will be repeated at noon Christmas Day, at 10 p.m. on Dec. 28 and at noon New Year's Day.
  
  
  

 
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