Relative Happiness

Lexie Ivy (Melissa Bergland) is overweight and owns a B&B in a small Nova Scotia town. Her sister Gabby is getting married and she's desperate for a plus one. Joss (Aaron Poole) is the annoying new workman fixing the house. Adrian Davenport is the hot bike guy looking for a room.

Bergland is adorable and that is enough to make this good. It's a simple standard rom-com and the outcome is as inevitable as it comes. That's not to say that one can't have fun with this or that there aren't any dysfunctional surprises. There is a good amount of darkness mixed with comedy which is very eastern Canada. This is very good although I'd get a better title.

I didn't realize where this was filmed until halfway through, although it has the laid-back, friendly stench of Canada all over it from the get go. This literally made me fall in love with Nova Scotia, a place I've never been but plan to visit very soon. Cute, witty rom-com with a non-traditional lead actress and charming supporting cast. This is a movie you watch when you're wrapped up in a blanket with several glasses of your favorite grocery store wine. If the Handmaid's Tale doesn't convince you to love Canada, this movie certainly will. Melissa Bergland is a damn delight and I now follow her on social media. Watch this with a slice of blueberry cream cake in your wet t-shirt.

My girlfriend and I just watched "Relative Happiness" here in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The local scenery and music provided wonderful eye and ear candy, especially with the colourful autumn foliage.

My girlfriend read the book and found that the movie pretty much followed the same storyline. I hadn't read the book, but read another of Leslie Crewe's books and could see the similarities in the writing style. Easy reading, and easy watching. I very much enjoyed the music used in the movie. I found the acting, and directing to be so so.

All in all I was glad we went to the see the movie. It was not one of my Canadian favourites (like Away From Her was), but that being said, it wasn't a waste of time or money. We both found it to be a nice matinée, but not one that either of us would consider to be a "must see movie".

Very Canadian.... But that's OK.

For me it gets a 7/10

I really didnt feel the flow of the film was any good, the ending didnt tie it up well enough and the actors and actresses where just mediocre. Wouldnt recommend this as a watch.

Relative Happiness is a terrible movie and I like rom coms. The writing is not good. There is the kitchen sink of father dying, affairs, all done in superficial glory with a morality overone. This all depended on a charming caste. With exception of the handiman Joss played by Aaron Poole, they were indifferent too awful actors with no cuteness appeal and I have no idea how the female lead was named best actress by Canadians as she is charmless to me. The movie is obvious in plot, not creative in any sense nor are the characters. However too the positive sides if you have good memories of Nova Scotia they have great pictures of the country side. It got a 3 cause i watched the whole thing. I would not say this is a good movie but the photography is good and you like Poole or Joss as little time as he got.