A new challenge awaitsEllie Kemperin the woods in the first trailer forHappiness for Beginners.Netflix’s new rom-comwill star Kemper as Helen, a recently-divorced woman who tries to shake things up and add a little danger into her life by taking a hardcore wilderness survival course. Amidst the group of quirky strangers, including her brother’s annoying best friend Jake (Luke Grimes), she hopes to rediscover some of the joy in her life and maybe learn to love again with someone unexpected.
The trailer opens with Helen explaining exactly why she’s on this so-called “adventure of a lifetime” - because she’s divorced and she needs a challenge that will help her mentally reset. Her overly-enthusiastic brother Duncan (Alexander Koch) comedically treats it more like a scouts' trip all about earning badges and making friends, but he’s nonetheless confident that Helen will do well. Herteam is not exactly the best equippedto handle a long hike through the Appalachian Trail, however. While their leader (Ben Cook) is knowledgeable and regimented, their group includes dude-bro Mason (Esteban Benito) who’s way too into “hike day,” the awkward Hugh (Nico Santos), and Sue (Julia Shiplett) who breaks her vow of silence on the trip to scream into the woods. The rest of the group, which includesBlythe Danner, Shayvawn Webster, andGus Birney, isn’t exactly ready for what the wilderness has in store either, but Helen will become closer with all of them in due time.
The person she sticks closest to, however, is Jake who is genuinely amazed to see her taking such a course. Although they seem like very different people,Katherine Center’s original novel depicts their relationship as starting years before when Jake developed a crush on Helen. As they hike together, they grow closer together and Helen sees a deeply caring side of him which Grimes shows off throughout the back half of the trailer. Withtheir relationship blossoming, and a little advice from her hiking pals, it looks as if this “adventure of a lifetime” will indeed change Helen’s life for the better.
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Who Is BehindHappinessfor Beginners?
Happiness for Beginnersis the latest of Center’s novels to get the feature film treatment after 2020 saw her novelThe Lost Husbandadapted withJosh DuhamelandLeslie Bibbstarring. She re-teams with directorVicky Wightfor this film who also helped write the screenplay. Netflix has no shortage of rom-coms in its catalog, but it’s hoping that the book’s New York Times bestseller status, along with its two talented actors in the Emmy-nominatedUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtstar Kemper andYellowstonealum Grimes, will make this film stand out among the crowd.
Happiness for Beginnerspremieres on Netflix on July 27. Check out the trailer below.
