Happy-Go-Lucky has been one of the most popular movie of previous year winning numerous awards. This was supposedly a feel good movie but it turned out to be more than that.
Movie introduces us to Poppy, who regardless of what happens does not cease smiling. Her bike is stolen, her driving instructor is a lunatic, a child in her class is troubled, but does that smile waver? No.
Poppy can at first appear to be rather annoying character. She’s more happy than your average person, she wears some of most the colourful, kooky outfits you’ve ever been privy to , she speaks a lot, at times in a rather crazy vernacular but, despite this, you can’t help but love her. Where could we find such a person you ask? In one of London’s primary schools of course. Poppy is clearly a great teacher of a class of content children and the scenes in the classroom are a joy to watch. One of Poppy’s driving forces appears to be a desire to make other people happy, be it her friends, her pupils or her driving instructor. There are some points within the film where we wonder whether Poppy’s desire to help others is a negative trait. To an extent, it blinds her to some of the dangers she faces, this is obvious in a scene where Poppy, alone, speaks to homeless man in what could be described as industrial wasteland. Does this compromise the realism of the film? Does it make us question the extent to which we respect Poppy as a character? Or does it is simply add to the many layers of our protagonist? Mike Leigh, does not give us the two-dimensional character we see in the adverts. Poppy is complex, self-aware, compassionate and wiser than we know.
Sally Hawkins is mesmerising in her role as Poppy. We give immense amount of credit to actors when they pull of that strong, powerful, emotional scene often characterised by sorrow or anger. What we seem to forget is how hard it can be to smile for long periods of time. Hawkins smiles in nearly every moment she spends on screen and she clearly gives it her all. She’s really smiling. Hawkins certainly bring Mike Leigh’s script to life and she is completely believable as Poppy.
A core element of the film is not just Poppy as a character but Poppy’s interactions between the people she comes across. The relationship between Poppy and her roommate, Zoë (Alexis Zegerman) is adorable. Their voices complement each other and there is an ongoing feeling that their conversations are going no-where, despite this, you can’t help but enjoy listening to them. Eddie Marsan plays the somewhat psychotic driving instructor, Scott. Scott is Poppy’s complete opposite; miserable, rigid, prejudiced and lets just throw male into it. We slowly become aware that Poppy is not the best person to be around Scott. She appears to be against every he stands for and his agitation around her becomes palpable.
Where the film leaves the audience greatly depends on the viewer. Mike Leigh definitely makes a statement, but it’s up to you decide what you think it is. Happy-Go-Lucky is guaranteed to have you in laughs for the most of the film, it is certainly worth watching.
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