Friday, October 31, 2008

Movie review: Happy-Go-Lucky

By Alex Bentley

If ever there was a movie that lives up to its title, it's Happy-Go-Lucky. And this from a director, Mike Leigh, whose last film, Vera Drake, was just as fantastic but was almost the polar opposite in terms of tone. Talk about your versatility.

Happy-Go-Lucky follows the life of Poppy (Sally Hawkins), an elementary school teacher with an almost-eternal positive attitude toward life. No matter what negative event or person she runs into, she usually comes away with a smile on her face. Even when circumstances force her to drop her cheery façade, her demeanor still comes off as approachable.

And Poppy has multiple occasions in which she could choose to stop being so happy. Her sister, Suzy (Kate O'Flynn), brings a dour face whenever she pops up. When Polly decides to learn how to drive, she's assigned Scott (Eddie Marsan), an instructor in need of more than a little anger management. She also has a student with anger problems and other small indignities that come her way, yet none of them make her go over to the dark side.

How can you not love a smile like that?

Of course, she also has a lot of good things in her life. She lives with her best friend, Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), her job is very fulfilling despite the angry student, and her life affords her plenty of opportunities to explore what the world has to offer. Among other things, she jumps at the chance at taking a flamenco class and at befriending a homeless man who others just pass by. These aren't just larks for her – she just never stops trying to find things that will make her happy.

The great thing about this film is that it's not some Pollyanna, pie-in-the-sky view of life. Poppy obviously accepts reality and that sometimes bad things happen in life. Yet she has chosen to see things from the bright side. Bike gets stolen? Oh well, gives me a chance to walk. You don't agree with me? That's all right, people disagree. She adamantly refuses to let anything get her down.

Another positive is that Leigh (who also wrote the film) doesn't inject the film with contrived situations that would make the audience question how Poppy could possibly be happy when confronted with such hostility. Again, she acknowledges when negative things happen around her; her reaction to them is just completely different than 99% of the people out there.

Happiness even in the face of hostility -- what a concept.

Hawkins is a revelation as Poppy. She so thoroughly commits to the role that I can imagine meeting her in real life would be a letdown, as she couldn't possibly be as outgoing and friendly as Poppy is. One could see how some might interpret her performance as annoying at various points, but from my perspective, she is a joy to watch at all times.

Some may dismiss Happy-Go-Lucky as a trifle, a light film not worthy of serious consideration. But Leigh and Hawkins have combined to make something much more than that. If not a blueprint on how to live life, it's at least something to which we all should aspire.

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• Arts > Movies / Film > Independent Films