Happy-Go-Lucky, with Sally Hawkins: Movie Review

After having read and seen all the hype for the movie, Happy-Go-Lucky, starring Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan, I was looking forward to viewing it with great anticipation. I saved Happy-Go-Lucky to watch after seeing Marley and Me as I had heard Marley and Me had a sad ending, and I figured Happy-Go-Lucky would cheer me up.

Perhaps I am not artsy enough for this film, but I found Happy-Go-Lucky quite boring. There were several scenes in Happy-Go-Lucky that made me chuckle, and I really did like the premise that Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a free-spirited teacher who sees the world through rose-colored glasses, no matter how bad things get, but parts of this movie are just dull.

Truthfully, Poppy is a fairly admirable heroine. She tries to find the best in people and in any situation, and these are wonderful qualities. But her humanity would be more impressive in Happy-Go-Lucky if she didn't seem like someone who had abused drugs and/or alcohol so much earlier in life that it left her a little simple-minded.

I found Poppy's incessant giggling annoying, and the majority of her conversations were just tedious. If I had been her driving instructor (played by Eddie Marsan), I think Poppy would have driven me a little crazy, too. However, Poppy is insightful, and some of her observations are spot on. She is also compassionate, to a fault, even following a large apparently homeless man with mental problems into a somewhat remote area at night. Again, her compassion would mean more if she didn't seem so clueless and careless at times. And what is it with the asthmatic hitch in her breath every time Poppy speaks or laughs?

Although every other review I read called Happy-Go-Lucky a "feel-great movie," I found it to be a mixed bag. Happy-Go-Lucky is a sometimes annoying, sometimes tedious, often silly, occasionally inspiring movie with an R rating for language and some quick semi nudity. The best line in Happy-Go-Lucky is at the end when Poppy is in conversation with her roommate and Poppy states she will keep on smiling. This is the great lesson of Happy-Go-Lucky - happiness is a choice.

Happy-Go-Lucky, by writer and director Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies), released to DVD on March 10, 2009 from Miramax Films. Happy-Go-Lucky earned Leigh a 2009 Oscar® nomination for Best Original Screenplay as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical for Sally Hawkins (Cassandra's Dream, Vera Drake). Happy-Go-Lucky also stars Eddie Marsan (Hancock).

Related Content

Marley and Me Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray - Movie Review