You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and you realize the actors aren't just reading lines, but they actually feel like they've been arguing over the same Thanksgiving turkey for twenty years? That’s the vibe with the cast of All Happy Families 2023. It’s a scrappy, Chicago-set indie dramedy that takes that famous Tolstoy quote about unhappy families and drags it into a cramped two-flat apartment.
The film premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2023 before its wider rollout, and honestly, the casting is what keeps the whole thing from sinking into "just another family drama" territory.
Josh Radnor and the Art of Being "Stuck"
At the center of the mess is Josh Radnor as Graham Landry. Look, if you’re a fan of How I Met Your Mother, you might expect Ted Mosby 2.0. But Radnor plays Graham with a much heavier dose of "failed potential." He’s a struggling actor and writer living in his childhood home, acting as a makeshift landlord for a place he doesn’t even own.
Radnor is great at playing that specific type of guy who is smart enough to know he’s failing but too paralyzed to do anything about it. He’s scruffy, a bit of a downer, and spends most of the movie trying to fix literal rotting pipes while his own life is, well, also kind of rotting.
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The Sibling Rivalry: Rob Huebel’s Pivot
Then you’ve got the brother. Rob Huebel plays Will Landry, and if you know Huebel from Childrens Hospital or his various comedic cameos, you know he can do "smarmy jerk" in his sleep. In this movie, he’s a successful TV star who shows up unannounced because he’s facing a massive misconduct scandal.
The dynamic between Radnor and Huebel is the engine of the film. They don't look like brothers—something the actors even acknowledged in interviews—but they feel like brothers. The jealousy is thick. Graham is bitter that Will has the money and fame; Will is arrogant because he thinks he’s the only one who "made it." It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s very real.
Becky Ann Baker: The Absolute MVP
If there is one reason to watch this movie, it’s Becky Ann Baker as the matriarch, Sue. Most people know her as the mom from Freaks and Geeks or Hannah’s mom in Girls. She has this incredible ability to be the "reliable" one while slowly letting you see the cracks in her foundation.
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In All Happy Families, Sue is dealing with a retirement party incident where her boss inappropriately touched her. Seeing her navigate that trauma while trying to keep her chaotic adult sons from killing each other is just... it's masterclass acting. She doesn't play it for big, melodramatic tears. She plays it like a woman who is just tired of holding everything together.
The Rest of the Landry Clan and Beyond
- John Ashton as Roy: The late John Ashton (who we all remember from Beverly Hills Cop) plays the dad, Roy. He’s a guy with a gambling problem and a bit of a drinking habit. It was one of his final roles, and he brings a quiet, complacent energy to a man who has clearly checked out of his own marriage.
- Chandra Russell as Dana: She plays Graham's former college crush and prospective tenant. Russell brings a toughness to the role that balances out Radnor's "softness." She’s a rising chef, she’s authentic, and she doesn't take Graham's moping at face value.
- Ivy O’Brien as Evie: Playing Will’s teenage daughter, O'Brien adds a layer of modern perspective. There’s a really sweet, understated subplot involving Evie coming out as a trans woman, and the way the family (especially Sue) handles it is one of the more grounded parts of the script.
Why the Ensemble Matters
Indie movies like this live or die on chemistry. If you don't believe these people share a history, the movie fails. Director Haroula Rose leaned heavily into the Chicago acting scene, pulling in people like David Pasquesi and Antoine McKay to flesh out the world.
The movie has a lot of spinning plates—too many, according to some critics. You’ve got sexual harassment, cancel culture, gambling, aging, and career failure all packed into one weekend. It sounds like a lot because it is. But the cast of All Happy Families 2023 manages to make these disparate threads feel like parts of a single, albeit very tangled, web.
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Where to See Them Next
If this cast clicked for you, here’s how to follow their work. Josh Radnor has been leaning into more dramatic indie roles and his music career. Becky Ann Baker continues to be the hardest-working character actress in the business, recently appearing in Ted Lasso. Sadly, John Ashton passed away in 2024, making this film a poignant final look at his range beyond the tough-guy roles he was known for.
The film is currently available on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. It’s worth a watch if you want to see a group of actors who clearly liked working together, even if their characters definitely didn't.
Next Steps for You:
To get the most out of this film's performances, watch it as a double feature with The Meyerowitz Stories or The Hollars. These films share that same "adult siblings returning home" DNA and feature similar ensemble energy. If you're specifically interested in Becky Ann Baker's range, go back and watch her episode of Girls titled "Manners" (Season 4, Episode 9)—it’s a perfect companion piece to her performance here.