Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh (writer)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The one movie this fall that will put a smile on your face.

Plot:

A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.

Plot Keywords:

London | Optimism | Classroom | Primary School | Flamenco

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 20 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Sally Hawkins	...	Poppy
Elliot Cowan	...	Bookshop Assistant
Alexis Zegerman	...	Zoe
Andrea Riseborough	...	Dawn
Sinead Matthews	...	Alice (as Sinéad Matthews)
Kate O'Flynn	...	Suzy
Sarah Niles	...	Tash
Eddie Marsan	...	Scott
Joseph Kloska	...	Suzy's Boyfriend
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Heather
Anna Reynolds	...	Receptionist
Nonso Anozie	...	Ezra
Trevor Cooper	...	Patient
Karina Fernandez	...	Flamenco Teacher
Philip Arditti	...	Flamenco Student

Also Known As:

Untitled Mike Leigh Project (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | USA:R | Germany:6 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIA | France:U | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Finland:K-7 | Sweden:7 | Singapore:PG | Mexico:B | Iceland:L | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Camden, London, England, UK

Company:

Film4

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Poppy cycles South of the river over Blackfriars Bridge but gets off in postcode EC1 (shown on a road sign), which is north of the river. A minute later, when she walks into a shop, she's in SE1 -- which is where she should have ended up.

Quotes:

Zoe: You can't make everyone happy.
Poppy: There's no harm in trying that Zoe, is there?

Movie Connections:

References "The Muppet Show" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Common People

A Lovely Look At How To Be Happy

All of the Mike Leigh traits are present in this lovely little film: the dysfunctional family, the contrasting approaches to life and a bittersweet questioning of what it is to be happy, what it is to be human.

The film is at times both lovely and disturbing. It is life affirming but carries a caveat that unhappiness does exist in sullen faces, in madness, in neuroses. However, the central characters triumph in an engaging if quirky film that may well see you leaving the cinema with a lighter step and a lighter heart.

It is not a film that will win top awards but it is one that will remain in the memory a good while as it is thought provoking and ultimately wonderful.