If the current economic hard times are getting you down, Poppy's unflappable optimism may be just what you need to cheer you up. Nothing seems to get Poppy down. As the film opens, her commuter bike is stolen and she casually laughs it off. She giggles almost incessantly, always has something nice to say even to surly strangers, and manages a positive attitude in the face of anything. Her relentless cheeriness, though, can get annoying to those who don't share her bright-eyed enthusiasm for life. Take Scott (Eddie Marsan), her driving instructor. He hates life and most of the people in it. Scott takes Poppy's sunny disposition as an inability to take anything seriously. Each of their driving sessions proves to be a clash of personalities with neither one willing to budge.
Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky (Summit)
Happy-Go-Lucky , like most of Mike Leigh's films, is more character driven than plot driven. Not a whole lot really happens in the film, it's more a series of vignettes that illuminate who Poppy is. For instance, we see her on a trampoline and suddenly realize that she's such a bouyant character that she doesn't need anything to make her airborn. She also takes flamenco lessons and the contrast between her and the passionate Spanish teacher makes us realize that Poppy's emotions run at a steady high rather than extreme mood swings. At first, I have to admit, I saw her a bit like Scott does - she's a bit tiresome in her Pollyanna disposition and she seems incapable of being serious. But as the film progresses, Leigh reveals that Poppy has surprising strengths and a definite ability to take thing seriously - but in her own unique way. At the elementary school where she teaches she notices a bully picking on the other kids. The first time she sees the bully, Leigh has her do nothing and we wonder if Poppy is just tuning out this unpleasant aspect of life and ignoring what doesn't fit into her optimistic worldview. But then Leigh shows her taking very distinct action and addressing the problem in a very effective manner.
It's also to Leigh's credit that he lets both Poppy and Scott hold their own in their encounters together. He's smart enough - and realistic enough - to realize that neither one is capable of changing the other. The verbal sparring matches between Poppy and Scott in the car as they meet for the weekly driving lesson are sharply written by Leigh and cleverly executed. Confined in the cramped, claustrophobic quarters of the car, Poppy and Scott are forced to interact. Then Leigh uses what's happening on the streets as a further means of revealing their characters. So when a couple of immigrant kids ride by on their bikes, Scott instructs Poppy to roll up her window and lock the door, an idea that Poppy finds not only ridiculous but baffling. Their interactions are the backbone of the film and Hawkins and Marsan (who was also superb in the recent Sixty-Six ) present a striking contrast. Hawkins has a gangly bird-like quality to her. If she were an animated cartoon character in a Disney film I could see her as a goofy albatross cheerfully falling about and laughing each time she picked herself up. In contrast, Marsan is a tightly wound up man, short and compact with a dark cloud following him around. So physically as well as emotionally the two performers offer a contrast.
Sally Hawkins and Alexis Zegerman in Happy-Go-Lucky (Summit)
What Leigh has been so good at in films such as this and Life is Sweet and High Hopes , is to show that it is possible to maintain a bright cheery outlook without ignoring the problems of the real world. Happy-Go-Lucky is a bubbly comedy but it's also one that acknowledges a much darker world out there, a world where there's racism, bullying, child abuse and crime. In a sense, that makes Poppy's happiness and optimism all the more triumphant and inspiring. If she can remain hopeful in light of all the bad that's going on in the world then maybe we can allow ourselves to find a little more hope in life as well.
Happy-Go-Lucky (rated R for language) is a charming example of Leigh's work. It also showcases his subtle ability to convey a very natural and realistic portrait of the British working class.
Companion viewing:
Life is Sweet, High Hopes, Naked, Bleak Moments
