When her driving instructor addresses Poppy, the main character in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, by her given name, she says she has not been called Penelope for years. One assumes it is because it has an adult ring to it, as she resembles Jemima from Play School and is twice as soft.
Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins, is a thirty year-old, London primary school teacher and the film opens with her riding her bike joyfully through the city. She stops at a bookshop because ‘I haven’t been here before’ and her face is full of wonder. She browses the shelves, finds a book on reality that is ‘not for me’ and promptly leafs through a children’s story. When her happy chat fails to elicit a response from the solemn book-seller, she leaves the shop with a merry nod and discovers her bike has been swiped.
The resulting narrative is about how to complete the journey into what Crusoe’s father called the ‘secure middle station’ without losing one’s sense of enthusiasm and the supporting cast illuminates different aspects of personality integration. There is the driving instructor, superbly played by Eddie Marsan, who lives a joyless existence, controlled by bitterness and anger; or her younger sister, who has achieved a suburban semi, a marriage and a pregnancy but doesn’t smile and wears dull cardigans. Both would benefit from some of Poppy’s attitude, but if they are too parental or too adult, it is also apparent she is too childlike.
The script slightly overplays the initial section as Poppy is on the verge of becoming unbearable. Thankfully, just at screaming point, we are introduced to a minor character, a teacher of flamenco dancing, who has a further permutation on role, enthusiasm and responsibility. She appears to be in firm control. She maintains that passion and self-assertion are crucial to effective dancing and then swiftly has a meltdown due to her intensely raw feelings for an ex-lover. It is a great scene. The timing is ideal as it provides an essential release to the irritation caused by Poppy’s personality and the film then changes gear.
She has a serious of encounters to introduce her to themes of adult responsibility and self assertion. Of these, by far the most dramatic is the tension during her driving lessons. Although slightly predictable, the spells when Poppy is forced to wear a seatbelt cause a gradual expansion of her personality and the dialogue is superb. Both actors elevate the scenes and the conflict is well maintained.
Ultimately, the film’s journey is a familiar one and you may become travel-sick in the first half-hour, but there are enough unique sights along the way. It also features one scene that has wonderful echoes of Abigail’s Party and Secrets and Lies: is almost worth the admission price for that alone.
Poppy, played by Sally Hawkins, is a thirty year-old, London primary school teacher and the film opens with her riding her bike joyfully through the city. She stops at a bookshop because ‘I haven’t been here before’ and her face is full of wonder. She browses the shelves, finds a book on reality that is ‘not for me’ and promptly leafs through a children’s story. When her happy chat fails to elicit a response from the solemn book-seller, she leaves the shop with a merry nod and discovers her bike has been swiped.
The resulting narrative is about how to complete the journey into what Crusoe’s father called the ‘secure middle station’ without losing one’s sense of enthusiasm and the supporting cast illuminates different aspects of personality integration. There is the driving instructor, superbly played by Eddie Marsan, who lives a joyless existence, controlled by bitterness and anger; or her younger sister, who has achieved a suburban semi, a marriage and a pregnancy but doesn’t smile and wears dull cardigans. Both would benefit from some of Poppy’s attitude, but if they are too parental or too adult, it is also apparent she is too childlike.
The script slightly overplays the initial section as Poppy is on the verge of becoming unbearable. Thankfully, just at screaming point, we are introduced to a minor character, a teacher of flamenco dancing, who has a further permutation on role, enthusiasm and responsibility. She appears to be in firm control. She maintains that passion and self-assertion are crucial to effective dancing and then swiftly has a meltdown due to her intensely raw feelings for an ex-lover. It is a great scene. The timing is ideal as it provides an essential release to the irritation caused by Poppy’s personality and the film then changes gear.
She has a serious of encounters to introduce her to themes of adult responsibility and self assertion. Of these, by far the most dramatic is the tension during her driving lessons. Although slightly predictable, the spells when Poppy is forced to wear a seatbelt cause a gradual expansion of her personality and the dialogue is superb. Both actors elevate the scenes and the conflict is well maintained.
Ultimately, the film’s journey is a familiar one and you may become travel-sick in the first half-hour, but there are enough unique sights along the way. It also features one scene that has wonderful echoes of Abigail’s Party and Secrets and Lies: is almost worth the admission price for that alone.
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