A Happening of Monumental Proportions follows several seemingly-disparate storylines that ultimately all come together in the end. Widower Daniel (Common) is nervous about speaking at his daughter Patricia’s (Storm Reid) career day later this afternoon. He heads to work for what he assumes will be like any other day, but when he arrives he discovers that the break room has been roped off with caution tape. Over the weekend, someone had come into the office, cut the cord to the office coffee machine, and left an expletive-filled note. New boss Mr. Schneedy (Bradley Whitford) is determined to figure out who is responsible, and starts interrogating the employees one-by-one. Meanwhile, Daniel has been having a secret affair with co-worker Nadine (Jennifer Garner), and her husband has found out. He keeps calling Daniel, trying to arrange a meeting for coffee so that he can beat up his wife’s new lover. To make matters worse, Daniel learns that Nadine is now framing him for the coffee machine incident.

At the private school that Patricia attends, there is also a lot of things going on. On her way into work, Principal Nichols (Allison Janney) discovers the groundskeeper lying dead outside the building, seemingly from a heart attack. So she gets faculty member Mr. Pendlehorn (Rob Riggle) to help her move the body to the teacher’s lounge, and enlists administrative assistant Mindy (Marla Sokoloff) to hide what’s happening from the rest of the teachers. With parents arriving later in the day for Career Day, it becomes a desperate quest to get rid of the body, but the paramedics (Katie Holmes, Nat Faxon) aren’t much help. Meanwhile, lonely new oddball student Darius (Marcus Eckert) quickly falls in love with Patricia and tries to get her to go out with him. And music teacher Mr. McRow (Anders Holm) is depressed after being kicked out by his girlfriend. Best friend/co-worker Mr. Ramirez (John Cho) tries to cheer him up, but nothing seems to help.

A Happening of Monumental Proportions is the feature directorial debut of comedian/actress Judy Greer. She has assembled an amazing group of talented comedic actors to help realize her vision. The film is billed as a comedy, and while there are many really fun and absurd moments, I found it to be more of a dramedy. Most of these characters are going through something dark in their lives or careers, and while there’s humor to be had in the situations, the film also makes you care about these characters and hope that something goes right for them. Well, maybe not for the teachers trying to hide a dead body. But certainly for Daniel, Darius and Christian (Mr. McRow). All of these characters have experienced loss—Daniel his wife, Darius his mother, and Christian his relationship—and are just trying to move on with their lives and find that human connection again. Overall, the film felt more like an extended pilot for a 30-minute cable comedy/drama…one that I would definitely watch. I could definitely see this working as an ongoing series. By the end of the film I felt I had a good understanding of these characters, and was interested in seeing what another day in the life of these people would involve.

Lionsgate has only released this film on DVD, but the SD picture quality looks great with a nice, clean picture. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and makes occasional use of the stereo and surround channels for ambiance. The disc comes packed in a standard DVD keepcase without a slipcover. No digital copy is included, and the only bonus feature is a 6-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast/filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:21:35)

DVD:

• 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Extras:

• A Sneak Peek at A Happening of Monumental Proportions (5:54)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about casting the film, working with director Judy Greer, and why they wanted to be a part of it. includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director Judy Greer, writer Gary Lundy, producer Andrew Miano, and stars Common (“Daniel”), Rob Riggle (“Mr. Pendlehorn”), Allison Janney (“Principal Nichols”), Anderson Holm (“Mr. McRow”), Bradley Whitford (“Mr. Schneedy”), John Cho (“Mr. Ramirez”), Katie Holmes (“Paramedic #1”), Nat Faxon (“Paramedic #2”), and Storm Reid (“Patricia”).
• Also From Lionsgate (2:17)
  Trailer for Damsel.

Final Thoughts:

A Happening of Monumental Proportions is an entertaining comedy-drama that uses some ridiculous situations to explore a day-in-the-life of various characters whose lives ultimately intersect by the end. Lionsgate’s DVD release provides a solid presentation, but is very light on bonus material, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Overall, I enjoyed the film, and it left me wanting to see more of these characters. This release is worth checking out, especially for the amazingly talented cast that has been assembled.