Dvd
Happy-Go-Lucky
Well known for his sober, bleak works (think Vera Drake and Naked), master and veteran English director Mike Leigh cranks up the positive with Happy-Go-Lucky; a tale spun from the creative, caring and cheerful life of Poppy (Sally Hawkins, last seen briefly in The Painted Veil).
A thirty-something primary school teacher, single and living with her best friends in London, Poppy is a glass three quarters full kind of gal – loves the children she teaches, likes a dance, cares for her younger sister, takes flamenco and trampoline lessons. You know the type. The film – an observational comedy – follows Poppy as her optimism is tested by life, by an awkward romance with a work mate, and most hilariously by a friendship with her driving tutor Scott (Eddie Marsden). Scott is Poppy’s opposite – an angry, fiery fusspot who treats her lessons very seriously.
Starring Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Andrea Riseborough
Directed by Mike Leigh ('Vera Drake', 'All or Nothing', 'Secrets & Lies', 'Naked', 'Life is Sweet')
Written by Mike Leigh
Festivals & Awards Best Actress (Comedy) for Sally Hawkins - Golden Globes 2009. Best Actress for Hawkins - Berlin Film Festival 2008.
Comedy, Drama | 1hr 58mins | Rated (M) | contains violence and offensive language | Origin: UK | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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4
Like a breath of fresh air, this low-key, funny and sharply observed comedy/drama sparkles with life. Though it wanders off course from time to time, director Mike Leigh weaves a laidback yet compelling charm, and showcases two of the finest, most natural performances in ages.
Poppy is a wonderful character - a thirty something primary school teacher driven by a sunny outlook (a rare treat, in these crazy hazy cynical times) - nailed by Sally Hawkins’ brave delivery. She doesn’t shy away from the fact (perhaps a sad one) that a lot of people find such bubbly-ness annoying as hell, nor do you perceive a naivety. It ain’t easy being happy, and Poppy is endearing and admirable for trying.
Aside from the odd performance that fails to match Hawkins, overall the support cast are fantastic – most notably Zegerman as best friend Zoe and Riseborough as little sister Dawn. But it’s only with Eddie Marsan, playing driving instructor Scott, that Hawkins really meets her match. Scott is her opposite – bitter, serious, conspiracy theorist, and barely able to suppress his spite. Their bickering is brilliant and nearly non-stop. Scott rules the lesson with an iron fist, trying to enforce ridiculous methods and insisting Poppy take the task seriously. Poppy isn’t willing to for his benefit, perhaps hopeful that he will lighten up. These scenes are hilarious; it’s the most memorable pairing in any film this year.
We are presented not with an over-arching plot, but rather character driven vignettes circling Poppy and her life in North London. A film without the pressing of a hard narrative can easily flounder, but Leigh relishes it. He engages the audience instead by making the characters so particular and truthful that one can’t help but be interested in their fortunes. This is rare and, when done as well as it is here, is a refreshing change from the norm.
Leigh is giving the film room to breathe. Some viewers may find it too loose, but combined with the film’s gentle message and the crackling chemistry of the leads, this is Happy-Go-Lucky’s allure.
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The people's reviews
14 reviews
Press Reviews
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BBC
4
Anyone who saw the magnificent, but magnificently depressing Vera Drake might be bracing themselves for another Mike Leigh downer – but Happy-Go-Lucky is anything but. The director's new film is a charming character study starring Sally Hawkins as a quirky, chirpy primary school teacher, Poppy, who delights in teasing her new driving instructor and living life to the full. An improvisational comedy drama, it's very funny and establishes Hawkins as a major talent to watch.
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Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
4
There's some great natural-feeling, seamless acting here, which may be down to the intensive rehearsal period Leigh favours. After numerous over-processed sugar-coated Hollywood romantic-comedies, Happy-Go-Lucky has a very real taste that's refreshing.
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Empire Magazine [UK]
4
Mike Leigh draws a bravura performance out of Sally Hawkins, and she in return makes Poppy one of Leigh’s best characters yet - up there with the likes of Vera Drake or Beverly from Abigail’s Party.
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Hollywood Reporter
As breezy as the title suggests, the film is about as far as can be imagined from such bleak Leigh classics as "Vera Drake" and "Naked." Spun from the cheerful life of its central character -- a smart, confident, goofball primary school teacher named Poppy (Hawkins) -- the film shares her optimism without being at all syrupy or sentimental. Hawkins, who starred to great effect in a recent British television remake of Jane Austen's "Persuasion," is a marvel with her urchin looks and irresistible smile. She makes Poppy unforgettable.
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NZ Herald [Peter Calder]
4
A couple of hours in Poppy's company will deal to the most stubborn case of the winter blues. "You can't please everybody," Zoe tells her, but she's not listening. "There's no harm in trying," she replies.
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TV3 [Kate Rodger]
4
Mike Leigh's vision is completely realised through Sally Hawkins performance, she's on screen for pretty much the entire film, and her support cast of friends and family, and her sad, fear-riddled and increasingly loathsome driving instructor, complete the picture.
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Variety [UK]
Effervescent comedy offers a lighthearted slice of life seen through eyes of a free-spirited London schoolteacher, replete with lessons of various sorts and humorous comparisons of teaching methods. Less pointed and edgy than anything in Leigh’s oeuvre except “Career Girls,” it still gets by on its own diverting charms.
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