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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) Movie Information |
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Overall Rank: |
2168 |
Avg. Rating: |
2.76/4 |
# of Ratings: |
59 |
Genres: |
Comedy, Drama |
Rating: |
R |
Language: |
English |
Theater Date: | 10/10/2008 |
DVD Release: |
03/10/2009 |
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Director: |
Mike Leigh |
Actors: |
Sally Hawkins
Alexis Zegerman
Eddie Marsan
Samuel Roukin
Andrea Riseborough
Sinead Matthews |
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Plot Outline:
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Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a 30-year-old London primary school teacher whose cheerful demeanour enables her to deal with whatever life throws at her. She lives with her best friend and fellow primary school teacher Zoe (Alexic Zegerman), whose wry calmness makes her an excellent foil to Poppy's over-the-top enthusiasm. Inasmuch as the two best friends have opposng views at times, they are perfect for each other and love being around each other.
After her bike is stolen, Poppy decides to take driving lessons so she can get around town a little easier. This is where we meet Scott (Eddie Marsan) the uptight driving instructor who is the complete antithesis of Poppy. Scott's strict approach to teaching and his somewhat unstable views on things cause a complete personality clash between the two characters. Poppy always stays true to her genuinely endearing personality and is an eternal optimist no matter what she is faced with. Her happiness is unconditional.
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Allison 07/04/2009 (1 of 1 found this helpful) |
Rating of
3.5/4 |
An excellent feature that even has a Mr. Vertigo reference. I've considered changing my life because of this one! I still am surprised that Sally Hawkins got so much attention over this role, but at the same time I think it's deserved. The bonus features on the DVD confirmed how well crafted the script was. It may not seem like the formulaic films of Hollywood where there's a good and bad guy and someone has to win, but that's exactly why it's so refreshing. Sally's character Poppy (whose real name is Polly) always made me laugh. And her weird infectious laugh (it seems that she has asthma) is adorable. The character of the driving teacher added a lot to the film as well.
Best Character List: Poppy |
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Alex 03/22/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful) |
Rating of
1.5/4 |
Not worthy of any Golden Globe nominations, but still not the worst movie of the year. The plot is pointless, the story line downright boring. The main character is interesting but the ending really made me wonder why I wasted 2 hours. |
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03/30/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful) |
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"Happy-Go-Lucky" by Yojimbo |
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In a variation on the theme of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot, Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky is a comedy drama about a 30 year old primary teacher called Poppy who has an undying enthusiasm for life and an unwavering optimism in the face of adversity. No doubt deliberately, Poppy comes across as a rather irritating and fatuous creature from the opening of the film, her constant chattering and giggling grating on my cynical, world-weary nerves with a vengeance. But the scenes at her work reveal the roots of her attitude, and it's very difficult not to warm to her. Basically she sees everyone in the world as one of the children she teaches, and tries to understand how they've become what they are; even a tramp who lives in a local back alley and her racist, emotionally stunted driving instructor. Un... |
Rating of
2.5/4 |
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05/14/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful) |
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One of 2008's Best Feel-Good Films |
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Upon reading other people’s reviews, I got the feeling that Poppy (Sally Hawkins) was this person who was happy all the time and wasn’t at all affected by other people’s negative emotions. After actually watching the film, I believe she’s not like that at all. In fact, she cares so much about other people–her family, her friends, even complete strangers–to the point where she tries to make them happy when she senses that they’re having a bad day or they have something heavy in their minds. Her default emotion is happiness, which is unlike many people whose default is neutral, and that makes her really interesting and entertaining to watch. Writer and director Mike Leigh (”Vera Drake”) did a great job introducing an extremely charming and likable character right from the opening credits. W... |
Rating of
4/4 |
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04/17/2009 (0 of 0 found this helpful) |
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Sally Hawkins is great, the movie is forgettable |
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This was an interesting movie. Essentially a character picture about an overly cheerly and optimistic girl and her interactions with others. The flow of the movie itself seemed dull and aimless at times but I think there was some great character work done here. Poppy was excellent and grew more interesting and endearing as the movie wore on. I think Scott the driving instructor was also incredibly well done.
At the end of the day though I think you have to have an amazing character (see "There Will Be Blood") to abandon a good storyline as much as they did. I think Milk did a great balancing job this year. Had a good story and a strong lead part that drew you in as well.
I give the movie credit though for its drama-comedy fence straddling with the character. It's not easy to do beca... |
Rating of
3/4 |
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