What to Stream: The Complex Charms of 'Happy-Go-Lucky'
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) Netflix, Amazon Instant, iTunes
The Basics: Meet Poppy (Sally Hawkins), the sunniest, most optimistic person in all of rain-soaked London.
If You Like: Life is Sweet, Annie, An Education
British director Mike Leigh has been known to strike fear into the hearts of journalists with his curmudgeonly ways during interviews and press conferences. And that caustic streak can present in some of his movies as well, most notably 1993’s Naked, which is justly famous for star David Thewlis’s epic, profanity-laden rants. But Leigh’s movies can also be downright charming, whether it’s his delightful tribute to 19th century musical theater in Topsy-Turvy or the working-class family dramedy of Life is Sweet. No character in his filmography is sweeter, though, than Poppy, the bright, chipper primary-school teacher expertly played by Sally Hawkins in 2008’s Happy-Go-Lucky. No matter what the world throws at her — an irate driving instructor, a class bully, or a pushy pregnant sister — she takes it all in stride and with good humor.
Rather than admire Poppy for that Pollyanna-ish quality, though, the people around her — and, ultimately, the film itself — regard her with a mixture of fascination, disbelief and even revulsion. The driving instructor, for example, is so maddened by his pupil’s relentless happiness that he has a full-on nervous breakdown. Leigh isn’t that harsh in his critique of his main character, but he isn’t entirely in her corner either. That may explain why the movie proved divisive when it was released, with some wondering what exactly we were supposed to make of Poppy. Is she a simpleton or a savant? At the same time, the movie’s refusal to pick a side is precisely what makes it so compelling. Many of the Leigh’s finest movies, including Naked and the upcoming biopic Mr. Turner, are complex portraits of often contradictory people. With Happy-Go-Lucky, he presents us with a character who initially seems like a cartoon and then slowly, steadily reveals her to be all too human.
Watch the trailer below:
