CMFH Film Reviews

2008, UK
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Review by Deborah Dearth

READ THE REVIEW AT The Desert Sun.
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True compassion is a rare beast. It is one thing to sympathize from a distance, to appreciate a troubled situation and know that one is better for not being a part of it. In Mike Leigh's latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky, however, compassion finds a champion in Poppy, a deceptively flighty but truly fearless heavyweight battling in the ring of negativity.

At first sugary glance, Poppy seems effervescent to a fault. A stolen bike is shrugged off for the occasion to learn to drive. A doctor's visit for back pain becomes laughable. Life is a joy and she savors every flavor. Yet her goofy demeanor is not reflective of a wholly naïve person nor one who ignores the harsh realities which surround her. She merely means to conquer the darkness.

Poppy's weapon is conversation. In a world where emotions are shut off to TV and video games, discovering someone who has mastered the art of communication is infrequent. Yet Poppy seems determined to thread a connection between each soul she meets, whether they create a wall around themselves or are simply incapable of a normal exchange, such as the incoherent homeless man with whom she crosses paths. A natural counselor, she calmly dissects each person's psychological well-being in search of the key to their unhappiness in the hopes that she might help right a deep-seated wrong.

Her occupation as an elementary school teacher naturally leads her to a boy in a troubled home, but her most curious relationship develops from her driving lessons. As her instructor's behavior becomes less comically paranoid and more seriously psychotic, she does her best to assuage his fears and find a salve for his confusion.

Poppy is played memorably by Sally Hawkins, a perfect fit who previously had roles in Leigh's Vera Drake and All or Nothing. Leigh surrounded himself by a cast and crew he could trust to his methods, such as Alexis Zegerman who worked with him on stage and Eddie Marsan (the driving instructor) who earned kudos on Vera Drake. As per standard Leigh operating procedure, the actors molded their characters through improvisational rehearsals. The results are conversations unfettered by stilted dialogue and a natural ease between the characters, much more so than the reliance on over-emoting in Vera Drake.

As this is a Mike Leigh film, his characters will not travel without some baggage. Poppy cannot flit through life without having to justify her behavior. How can she be happy without a husband, but instead finds companionship from a friend with whom she has traveled the world and co-habitated for 10 years? How can she be surrounded by families and not yearn for one herself? How can she be so cheery in an unpleasant world?

Poppy finds happiness where it hides and does not make demands of it. Though her actions appear uncalculated and carefree, she actually takes great pains to find a balance in her environment and a peace in those she meets, each of whom leaves better for having viewed the world through her rose-colored glasses.