"On his graduation day, John looks back over his teenage years, recalling all the embarrassments, tension, joys and sorrows of family life. As he grows older and becomes better educated, he feels less comfortable with his working-class family who cannot understand his growing intellect and his theatrical aspirations. Full of warmth, understanding and humour, "Happy Families" paints an affectionate and appealing portrait of an ordinary family struggling with change, bereavement and the generation gap."