Happy Tears

Jayne (Posey) and Laura (Moore) play sisters helping their crude but endearing father Joe (Torn) deal with age-related health and mental problems. Wealthy by marriage, Jayne is otherwise psychologically fragile. Conversely, Laura has her hands full with domestic responsibilities but is considerably more grounded. Upon returning to their childhood home to help their father, they face difficult, frequently comic situations. The home, their deceased mother's effects, and their father's eccentricities evoke memories and sentiments, especially for Jayne. The sisters bicker over the seriousness of their father's condition. They also contend with a romantic dalliance between Joe and his equally eccentric, wigged-out "nurse" Shelly (Barkin). The struggle to balance familial duties with their own strained lives suggests a more meaningful family connection they may not have had as children.