Margarita Happy Hour

“…Chaiken’s MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR is probably
the best film to come out of New York’s East Village filmmaking community…”
—Indiewire

“The writers of Sex and the City would do well to catch Margarita Happy Hour,
Chaiken’s stunning, beautifully observed character study…”
—Philadelphia Inquirer

“(3.5 stars)…Sharply observed… almost painfully on target.
…a small, poignant gem.”
—TV Guide

“Rich with gratifyingly non-toxic local color… Ilya Chaiken’s wry feature debut…
Chaiken ably balances real-time rhythms with propulsive incident…
She catches subtler interior strains, too.”
—Village Voice

“First-time feature director Ilya Chaiken has created a compelling, unique story
… as yet our favorite dramatic film of the (Sundance) festival.”
—Mr. Showbiz

“(Writer-director Chaiken) has as sure an instinct for the succinct image and brisk pacing
as she does for dialogue. Hutchins is as much a discovery as Chaiken,
and both command attention in a natural, unpretentious manner…
Effective in all its aspects… An auspicious feature debut for Chaiken.”
—Kevin Thomas, LA Times

“Ilya Chaiken’s MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR… is an independent feature with sure sociological instincts…
Her talent lies in an evocative, accurate observation of a distinctive milieu
and in the lively, convincing dialogue she creates for her characters.”
—New York Times

“Cheers to a truly authentic indie… writer- director Ilya Chaiken’s assured feature debut…
A hit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Chaiken’s film is, at once, a joyful celebration of female friendship
and an unusually honest look at newly responsible young women wistfully
saying goodbye to the dreams of their youth.”
—New York Post

“Smart, funny, and well-acted… entirely engaging and true.
Her Altmanesque coordination of the various strands of dialogue
generated during happy hour is brilliant; … executed effortlessly
… refreshingly honest and entertaining.”
—Newsday

“…an entertainingly realistic, promising debut from writer-director Ilya Chaiken…”
—Hollywood Reporter

“…writer-director Ilya Chaiken’s debut feature is a surprisingly in-depth,
wistful look at outgrowing a youth-only subculture…
MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR could parlay fest gigs and favorable word-of-mouth
into deserved sleeper status.”
—Variety

“MARGARITA HAPPY HOUR… deserves to be seen.
It’s a smart, heartfelt, well-photographed and excitingly designed film.”
—NY Press

“Chaiken’s feature debut is an elegiac tribute…
she has an excellent feel for the grace notes of real life…”
—LA Weekly

“fresh and observant… spiked with raw urban humor.”
—New Times LA

“…one tough little movie… Chaiken uses a free-floating structure to nail her chosen milieu…
The film’s every detail is sharp and unclichéd…”
—Washington City Paper

“ ‘A’- Terrific… Well paced and surprisingly complex …
Margarita Happy Hour captures perfectly the protracted adolescence of hipster life.”
—Philly Weekly