Happy-Go-Lucky (R)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight I am reviewing Happy-Go-Lucky
, the story of a woman who always looks at the bright side of life, no matter what.
Scott was unable to join me tonight.
So what did I think? By the end of this movie, I grew to like it, especially the main character. The first hour of this movie was like being in a dentist chair. You knew somehow this was good for you, but it was painful. This really does feel like a movie that you would have no problem walking out of. but if you did you would miss a really worthwhile second half.
Sally Hawkins plays Poppy, a young teacher in London who has an endless supply of optimism. Poppy is the kind of person most people aspire to be. Someone who is optimistic regardless of what she is facing. Her enthusiasm can frankly get on your nerves, but you have to admire her. I don’t know if I could stand to be around her in real life, but she certainly grows on you. In fact the entire movie grows on you if you stick with it. In the beginning the film and the character of Poppy fills up every bit of silence with incessant talking-Usually about nothing important. But she is that type of person that makes you want to be around her, perhaps hoping that some of this brimming over happiness will spill on to you. You get a protective feeling, for she is very childlike in a sometimes cruel world. Even if she gets on your nerves, like a young daughter who talks too much, you would certainly like to scold anyone selfish enough to be rude to her. Poppy is not afraid to try new things or approach people that surely any adult would warn her away from. Although she seems innocent, she is not naïve. She knows that there are bad things out in the world, but she feels it is her place to help others through it.
Hawkins is the backbone of this film. If you don’t like her, you probably won’t enjoy this film. Honestly there are times when her happy time prattling starts to sound like Mike Myers in an Austin Powers film. You’ll find that you tend to overlook this because on the other hand she plays Poppy as very sympathetic. Unfortunately never having seen her in a film before, I have no frame of reference, but I believe that this role will break her out of independent film into the mainstream. Poppy sometimes reminded me of Amelie from the French film of a few years back. That movie was more whimsical and this one more serious.
The other dazzling performance in this piece is Eddie Marsan as Scott, the driving instructor. Marsan is one of those guys who look very familiar, but you can’t quite place him. Chances are you have seen him in a supporting role in movies like Miami Vice, The Illusionist, Mission Impossible 3, V for Vendetta or most recently as the villain in this summer’s Hancock. Scott is the exact opposite of Poppy. Where she is joyful and delights in virtually everything, Scott is a bitter, lonely sort. Their interaction is the high point of the film, as this is obviously where the conflict is percolating.
Mike Leigh both wrote and directed the film as he has done several times before. I am not familiar with his work, but I have been advised that he has an interesting body of work. After this film I am inclined to check out some of his other pictures.
I give this movie 3 stars out of 5 overall and 3 as a comedy/drama. This movie would have rated higher with me, if the first half had been as good as the second. All in all I was very impressed with Sally Hawkins performance, much like the standout performance from Ellen Page in last year’s Juno.
