The Happy Poet
by Paul Gordon
The Happy Poet is a slacker success story with a vegetarian twist. Written and directed by, and starring Paul Gordon, the film follows a novice health-food chef, in a story that may reflect the birth of many vegetarian gourmet cafes.
As the film opens, Bill no longer has a job. He no longer writes poetry. With a meager bank loan, he purchases an old hot dog stand. He cleans it up and starts selling “mostly vegetarian” sandwiches in a dog park in Austin. His friends name the cart the “Happy Poet,” to which he grudgingly acquiesces when an attractive customer calls the name “cute.”
At first, Bill gives away food for free in a generous attempt to convert the walk-up clientele from hot dogs to “green” fare. His friend Donny offers to expand the business by delivering sandwiches on his scooter. Donny uses his opportunity to hustle small time (by not offering change for the deliveries and dealing weed on the side), while back at the stand Bill is kept company by Curtis, an older guy who hangs around, mooches free food, and offers encouragement.
After some success, Bill runs into cash flow issues. Donny, who has been making bank with deliveries of both sandwiches and weed, advises Bill, “You’ve got to take life by the sac before life takes you by the sac. Neither option feels good, but which one feels worse?” Discouraged, Bill resorts to selling low-cost hot dogs and tofu dogs to stay in business, but his heart isn’t in it. His friends come to his rescue in unexpected ways.
Subtle indie humor and sparse piano notes punctuate the equally sparse action. Shot primarily with static medium close up shots, we follow Bill’s slow and often enigmatic behavior. The film clearly feels that dedicated slackers can achieve a happy outcome.
Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!