HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY is a heartfelt comedy-drama about two people in their mid-40s, Kat and Martin, who are forced to restart their lives after personal and professional crises. Both suffering from depression and anxiety, they return to their childhood homes, reconnect with old friends, and begin the long process of rebuilding.

Kat, a once-famous teen star turned struggling artist, has just been dumped by her girlfriend for a younger woman. Martin, a video editor who loses his job and his career reputation, also splits with his girlfriend. Neither of them is prepared for the awkwardness of starting over at this stage in life, and both struggle to define their future beyond the failures that have defined their past.

Back home in their childhood homes, both Kat and Martin regress into the habits and behaviours they had in their teens and twenties. Kat, once a rebellious teen with a taste for excess, falls back into old patterns of avoiding responsibility and self-sabotaging. She rekindles old friendships with people who remind her of her past, but these relationships don’t always bring her the happiness she expects, and she finds herself wondering whether she’s been running from her true self for too long. Martin, returning to the family home where his parents are still emotionally distant, quickly regresses into his younger self—quiet, withdrawn, and uncertain about his place in the world. His old friends, who once offered comfort, now feel like reminders of his failures, but he’s also drawn to their familiar sense of camaraderie, even as it drags him back into old habits.

Kat is forced to take a mundane office job for the first time in her life, and Martin decides to pursue a long-forgotten dream of writing, their paths cross when Martin buys an office chair from Kat, who is desperate for extra cash. Despite Kat’s initial reluctance, they agree to meet for a drink, and a fragile but genuine friendship begins to form between them. Martin, recognizing Kat from her former acting career, begins secretly writing about her life, captivated by her vulnerability and resilience. Over time, their bond deepens, with both finding solace in their shared struggles.

But as their friendship grows, so does the complexity of their feelings for each other. Kat, struggling with her identity and emotional baggage, finds herself developing an affection for Martin, even though she knows it will never be romantic. Meanwhile, Martin begins to recognize that his feelings for Kat are shifting into something more. Their connection is undeniable, but both are cautious—neither wants to jeopardize their close friendship.

Kat's quirky mother, a former page three model with five dead husbands, offers unsolicited advice, while Kat’s sister Nina, a YouTube ASMR would-be sensation, adds a layer of eccentricity to the mix. Martin forms an unlikely and often frustrating friendship with Ian, a creepy and socially awkward man desperate for Martin to help him find a girlfriend. Tensions arise when Martin reconnects with an ex-best friend who hasn't forgiven him for ditching him at his wedding, adding another layer of unresolved conflict to his already complicated emotional landscape.