Happy-Go-Lucky is some sort of cinematic proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The film centres on Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a supremely optimistic woman who goes through life trying to jolly people out of their anger, fear and sorrow. She seems a bit ditzy at times and she appears to be rarely serious, but Poppy is quite serious about her positive approach to almost everything.
Under the froth and tomfoolery is a woman determined to stay on the side of the good, and her determination is sorely tried.
The thing about Poppy is that people either love her or hate her. Happy-Go-Lucky is from Mike Leigh (Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies), and it's one those movies that actually starts when people leave the theatre and go out to the car park to argue, all the way home, about what they've just seen on the screen.
That's the best kind of movie.
Happy-Go-Lucky is often described as a comedy, but that's misleading. Although it's often funny, the movie is more a drama about what it takes to move through the world without getting dragged down by the anger and negativity so widely available. A gentle answer turneth away wrath, and all that.
Poppy is a primary school teacher in London, England. She lives with her best friend Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), who is also a teacher.
Another sort of teacher -- Poppy's driving teacher, Scott (Eddie Marsan) -- provides all the conflict in the story.
Scott is a furious, humourless young man with impressive reserves of hatred for all and sundry: Immigrants, blacks, Americans, women -- you name it. Scott, like a few other people in the story, is angry all the time. Somehow, Poppy's good-natured joking makes Scott even more twisted and hysterical when they meet. And he begins to obsess about her.
Poppy goes drinking with her friends, visits a married sister, takes flamenco lessons for a lark and takes up the case of a little boy in her class who is being bullied at school. Her concern for the bullied child and her ability to handle the situation puts Poppy in a different light -- just when you think you know who the character is, she will surprise you.
Leigh seems to be playing with viewer's expectations; there's plenty of tension in the movie, for example, but none of it leads to the sort of cinematic unlikely event we've all been trained by Hollywood to expect. It's dumbfounding.
And it's fascinating.
Poppy nearly comes to blows with Scott in a particularly tense scene, but she takes control of the situation in a handy fashion. What's sad-making about Happy-Go-Lucky is watching how hard Poppy works to keep things chipper, how devoted she is to keeping the space all around her positive. In her war on anger and fear, Poppy is accused of being arrogant and interested in chaos. Take life seriously, people tell Poppy. Grow up, they advise her.
What would be the point of that?
(This film is rated 14-A)
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