Cheerleaders for melancholy have often linked it with profundity. But it's Leigh's achievement to show that happiness, too, can have its depths, and even its darkness.
Comment
11/13/08
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
92
%
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:130
Rotten:11
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Mike Leigh's latest partially-improvised film is a light-hearted comedy with moments that bite, and features a brilliant star turn by Sally Hawkins.
Theatrical Release:18-04-2008
Synopsis: In a shift away from his usual exploration of the dark and dreary, director Mike Leigh (VERA DRAKE) takes a lighter look at life with HAPPY-GO-LUCKY. The film chronicles the daily comings and... [More]
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman, Stanley Townsend
Director: Mike Leigh
Reviews for Happy-Go-Lucky
Here’s what makes Mike Leigh’s films so good: We expect, since we’re watching a movie, that we’ll eventually see the other side of these characters.
11/13/08
Hawkins wears her grin in almost every scene, but she gives us hints that this dizzy 30-year-old is deep, as are the disappointments that might have caused Poppy to don this mask. It's a performance of sustained, childlike wonder and adult wit.
11/13/08
In this bleak economic climate, are you looking for a glass that's half-full instead of half-empty? Here's a lighthearted, life-affirming comedy to be thankful for.
11/13/08
One of Leigh's most upbeat films, as well as one of the best.
11/12/08
se taksideyei me aksiozileyti anesi kai finetsa, se mia eidylliaka fantasiaki ensarkosi tis endedeigmenis antidrasis ki antistasis toy anthropoy, apenanti sta mayra synnefa tis Morntor poy skepazoyn ti zoi toy
11/08/08
That smile is so winning it's almost transcendent (kind of like Julia Roberts' smile, back when she used to smile). But it's Hawkins' depth that ultimately sells the film's premise.
11/07/08
For the most part, the British comedy-drama Happy-Go-Lucky lives up to its title.
11/07/08
...the rare movie that seems better the more you think about it.
11/07/08
Sally Hawkins' enchanting performance is yet another example that Leigh's trademark technique is working.
11/05/08
Leigh finally discovers the entire other half of human experience that he's always ignored, and in the process directs his best film since Secrets & Lies.
11/02/08
It's a powerful argument for optimism.
10/31/08
I've never used this cliché in a review before, and God forbid I ever use it again, so pay close attention: Happy-Go-Lucky is the feel-good movie of the year.
10/31/08
Sally Hawkins, in a blinding, Oscar-worthy piece of acting so good you barely see it, plays Poppy, a perpetually upbeat elementary schoolteacher in London.
10/31/08
British director Mike Leigh has made the first great comedy for our new depression.
10/31/08
She is charming and funny, and her blithe, carefree spirit actually comes across as a legitimate way of dealing with life -- or, at the very least, as being better than some of the alternatives.
10/30/08
Leigh's creation is fixed and unchangeable, admirably optimistic as a person but completely unengaging as a movie character.
10/30/08
Mike Leigh, cockeyed optimist?
10/30/08
Leigh pushes the story in a more interesting direction, asking whether people find happiness or simply will it on themselves.
10/30/08
The intentions of this oddity are muddled, but the small portraits of ordinary people choosing their path through the daily range of depression and delight are fully alive.
10/28/08
Latest News for Happy-Go-Lucky
May 20, 2009:
Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
The Golden Globe seems to have done Sally Hawkins well. After winning the award for her part in Mike Leigh's hilarious Happy-Go-Lucky, having her name attached to any project... More...
March 09, 2009:
RT on DVD: Rachel Getting Married, Milk Lead Super Fresh New Releases
Home video enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what may be the best week ever! This week you'll have to choose between Academy Award flicks Rachel Getting Married (Best Actress... More...
February 19, 2009:
Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
She was 13 when she made her big screen debut in Paul Andrew Williams' affecting drama London to Brighton, and drew stellar notices from critics as a young victim of child... More...
February 03, 2009:
RT Interview: Golden Globe Winner Sally Hawkins
After winning Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival, the Golden Globes, and a score of critics' circles for her ebullient performance in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky,... More...
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