Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Jr. (Zahn) don't know each other. They just happen to be bound together by the ankle, part of a Texas chain gang. But when the opportunity comes to escape, Harry and Wayne half-inch a run-down RV, only to find themselves several miles down the road being stopped by the local sheriff Chappy (Macy). They think the game is up, but Chappy has in fact mistaken them for a couple of travelling beauty pageant directors, whom the town of Happy, Texas has been eagerly waiting on. Every year the eight year-old girls of Happy miss out on the big pageant, but this year is going to be different - not only do they have professionals on the job, but they're gay as well! Despite Wayne's deep misgivings, the duo decide to go along with the mistake - after all, it's somewhere to hide out, and the town bank looks like a fairly easy target...
More than anything, Happy Texas is an extremely well-played piece - Brit Northam is credible as an American leading man, while Macy is an understated joy as he starts to betray exactly which way he swings. But the movie belongs to the increasingly wonderful Steve Zahn, whose pitiful attempts to deal with a bunch of kids provide the film's strongest and most watchable moments.