British auteur Mike Leigh has made a habit of finding the extraordinary in the lives of the ordinary. Leigh gives screen time to the working class Joes that Hollywood only hands out bit parts to (or passes over completely). Sally Hawkins’ Poppy is the type of character that would be relegated to the wacky BFF in any standard rom-com. But, in Happy-Go-Lucky, she takes the spotlight.
There’s no driving plot to be found, just an episodic peek into the life of an unfalteringly optimistic primary school teacher. Poppy dresses in rainbow pastel colors almost as bright as the unwavering smile on her face. She’d almost be annoying if her charming giddiness weren’t so infectious. Even when Poppy is getting her back cracked at the chiropractor, she’s still giggling. Poppy’s cheerfulness is counteracted by her tightly wound driving instructor, Scott, played to a tee by Eddie Marsan ("En-ra-ha! En-ra-ha!"). Where Poppy finds delight in even the most trivial of things, Scott finds fault in them. He’s a burning ball of pent-up rage, the kind of guy the neighbors remember as the quiet type until he shot up a shopping mall.
Something obviously happened to Scott to turn him into such a bitter human being. On the other hand, there was no traumatic event in Poppy’s life that caused her to mask her pain with an empty smile. Nor is she a nattering twit. She’s just a happy, peppy person and there should be a lot more like her.
Happy-Go-Lucky is far more jovial film than what we’re used to from Leigh. Take for example, Secrets and Lies and Vera Drake. That’s not to say Happy-Go-Lucky exists in a Disney wonderland. Dour moments seep in just like they do in real life. There’s an abused child, the obviously disturbed Scott, and a touching scene with a homeless man. Yet, nothing is able to defeat Poppy’s toothy grin.
Hawkins, who was one of the few bright spots in the otherwise dreary Cassandra’s Dream, puts on a star making performance. Hawkins’ free-spirited turn is emboldened by Leigh’s improvisational approach. She’s able to cut loose and truly allow the character to dictate where the film goes.
Rating: *** 1/2
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