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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

210 reviews

Synopsis

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a 30-year-old Londoner with a bright outlook on life. She loves her job, she loves her friends, she loves her freedom. Mike Leigh's new film follows her over a few weeks one spring as she learns to drive and embarks on a new romance.

Movie review

From Time Out London

Sally Hawkins is a real delight in Mike Leigh’s new film as Poppy, a 30-year-old Londoner with a bubbly nature and an ever-present laugh that teeters between lovable and annoying. Hawkins’ performance, and Leigh’s harnessing of it, is a tease: when we first see Poppy, cycling through the West End and joking with a grumpy bookshop assistant before joining her friends for a late-night drunken session, we don’t know what to make of her. She’s loud, joyful and indulges in terrible jokes; surely there’s something wrong with her?

The trick that Leigh and Hawkins finally pull off so cleverly by the end of 'Happy-Go-Lucky’ is that we’re entirely in cahoots with her. Poppy is a mirror to us all: if we find her blind optimism and sunny nature hard to swallow, perhaps there’s something wrong with us instead? By then, too, we know that Poppy is not the blinkered soul we may first think: she is compassionate, perceptive and harbours her own sadnesses like the rest of us.

Leigh always finds plot in character, and ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ is more of a portrait than a story; a film that’s built around one performance. He is less concerned here, unlike, say, ‘Secrets & Lies’ and ‘Vera Drake’, with following a driving narrative than with minutely observing Poppy through her relationships with others, whether it’s the kids she teaches at her primary school, her repressed driving instructor (Eddie Marsan, excellently playing a heavy-duty bag of hang-ups), her close friend and flatmate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman) or her older, more settled colleague Heather (Sylvestra Le Touzel), whom she joins at flamenco lessons after work. In that sense, it’s comparable to ‘Naked’.

It’s a study in sadness versus happiness, a study in teachers and the taught, a study in how we carry with us everyday the burdens of what we have and haven’t learned. You know you’re watching something both delightfully light-footed and acutely meaningful when Leigh moves so nimbly between scenes at Poppy’s school, her flamenco class and her driving lessons. There’s also a wonderfully moving scene, darker and more poetic in tone, when Poppy encounters a tramp late at night. It’s a funny film – a surprise perhaps after ‘Vera Drake’ – and, crucially, it aches with truth.

Author: Dave Calhoun

Time Out London Issue 1965: April 17 - 23, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Monika said...

Posted on Jan 28 2012 18:35 loved it ! loved it ! loved it !, and just read comment those who do not get this are probably related to the driving instructor loved that tooo ; D

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Monika said...

Posted on Jan 28 2012 18:28 Brilliant

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helly belly said...

Posted on Jun 20 2011 05:28 I thought Poppy was amazing, and extremely well played. I dont see what people find annoying about her, her kindess and happiness makes her impossible to hate (for me anyway). I suppose its all how you veiw the movie.
There was something magic about this movie, maybe the relatability or how REAL the characters seem to be. Im not sure but it was certainly enjoyable to watch.
Scott however was a terrifying character for me. Poppy's bravery is astounding, I know I would have bolted far before the whole hair-grabbing incident. He was simply a disturbing character.
Anyway, this movie was brilliant. I can't wait to watch it again!

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Maggy said...

Posted on Feb 14 2011 23:01 How can anyone call Poppy charming? I found her unbearably annoying, shallow and full of herself. As far as I'm concerned the driving instructor showed real restraint. Even I felt like smacking her 20 minutes into the film! Furthermore, I can't see where 20 seconds of shmaltzy "heartfelt" knowing looks inserted within a bombardment of mind numbingly boring cockney cliches can be equated with depth.

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nas said...

Posted on Nov 14 2010 19:31 i was in da movie i am 1 of da charcter

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Jet said...

Posted on Oct 17 2010 05:46 Happy Go Lucky is a movie that has a great deal going on underneath the surface. Yes, Poppy's silliness can be grating to the person who's never met a senstive person who wants very much for people to be happy, with themselves and each other. Poppy is the most complex character, and Sally Hawkins performance makes her so. After watching the movie at least 3 times, different bits stand out as memorable. The emotions of the different characters, for one. The costuming and settings come alive in different ways, as does the characters' interactions. Mike Leigh did a fantastic job with this movie, and Happy Go Lucky is not what it seems. It is much, much more.

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Dan said...

Posted on Jun 16 2010 21:52 Shitty

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joe koza said...

Posted on Mar 07 2010 23:11 stevenage must have a drug in the water that makes people a bit[or a lot] thick

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rachel said...

Posted on Mar 07 2010 20:15 Rubbish the only bit i enjoyed was when 'stevenage' was mentioned, because it's near where i live.

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jadespade said...

Posted on Feb 01 2010 10:20 awww i loved this film....i wish i knew poppy. she is such a lovely character. this is such an uplifting happy film that really made my day.

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Anna said...

Posted on Dec 16 2009 11:33 Truly brilliant. So thought provoking and brilliantly acted. My sort of fim. Well done.

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Spongebob said...

Posted on Dec 16 2009 09:54 It was ok, if a bit dull; an anti-climax after the hype. Leigh usually does better. This time a bit heavy handed with the 'caring' nature of the character, who was mostly annoying. Sally Hawkins is lovely though, and at least you get to see her semi-nekked!

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Whatalog said...

Posted on Dec 09 2009 10:13 Awful. This film actually stressed me out watching it. I have no idea where this underlying sadness that poppy is supposed to have is.
I found her to be one of the most unsympathetic characters ever commited to film. Patronising, ignorant and downright rude at times. I found myself rooting for the racist on the edge driving instructor because she was so dense and rude to him throughout!
I found her to be a 2 dimensional creation to be honest and as for the film overall Im fighting to find any sort of message or real point to any of it. alot of the film felt a bit "tacked on" to me - Such as Scotts racist view - a ploy in which to demonise him and gain sympahty for her maybe? and the scene with the tramp - analyse it all you want and find it a scene in which we see poppy as truley caring and able to set this troubled mind at ease because she truly is compassionate and blah blah blah - if anything that scene is an insult to mental health and mental health carers as if they are missing a trick by not just being nice and communicating.
Love Mike Leigh - a genius director and a living legend - but I can only put this films critical success down to emperors new clothes.

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YAV said...

Posted on Dec 08 2009 21:53 watchable, but only if you have no life (likfe me) poppy was gorgeous - wanted to punch her in the face contunally however. Scott was pathetic. - Not the actors fault - just the very crappy lines, pseuso new world order crap he came out with. DO your homework Leigh

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Angela said...

Posted on Dec 08 2009 13:54 I loved this film from beginning to end, I got it, there was a few things that Poppy said that I related to, its a good way to live, always look on the bright side of things, i know sometimes we can't but the majority of the time we can, life really isn't that bad

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