Happy-Go-Lucky

When one hears of a Mike Leigh film with the word "happy" in the title, one would understandably suspect that it is being used ironically, much like the word "sweet" in Life Is Sweet. I've seen many of Leigh's films, including Life Is Sweet, Naked, High Hopes and Secrets and Lies, all of which exposed the unhappy lives of the contemporary British middle-to-lower class (Topsy-Turvy was a noted exception to his filmography). But Happy-Go-Lucky is about a genuinely happy person, and while there are the occasional looks underneath the rock at contemporary life, Leigh has actually made a feel-good film.

I've long pondered just what happiness means, and where it fits in life. Are we, as human beings, supposed to pursue happiness? Many think so, but then there those who think that's a fool's errand--happiness is like trying to step on on one's shadow, it's perpetually out of reach. I once remarked to a college professor of mine that I wanted to be happy and she said, "Oh, you're like a character from Chekhov." Is happiness a condition of life, or is it self-made?

Poppy, played ebulliently by Sally Hawkins, is happy. She's over-the-top chipper. We first see her attempting to make small talk with a bookshop employee, who has no interest in her pleasant chirping. She takes no offense, though, and moves on. She is a perpetual ray of sunshine that pierces through the darkest of clouds, and if those around her aren't interested, she's fine with that, too.

The film then is basically an episodic look into Poppy's world. She's a primary school teacher, and deals with a bully in her classroom. She lives with a friend, the bemused Alexis Zegerman, and does things like trampolining and learning to Flamenco. The central plot surrounds her learning to drive from an instructor, Eddie Marsan, who is a tightly-would coil of anger. At first we perceive him as a comic foil, a frowny-face in contrast to Poppy's smiley, but over the course of the picture their relationship turns into something darker.

The amazing thing about this film is Hawkins' performance--she is not annoying. Normally you'd think a person who is always giggling and joking about everything and has a goofy smile for all circumstances would be unbearable, but Poppy is actually someone who I not only could tolerate, I'd actually enjoy being around. She's what could be called a flibberty-gibbet, but she's not without a center of gravity (she takes her teaching seriously) and radiates a warmth and kindness that are infectious. At a key moment in the film she is accosted by her sister, who is married and pregnant and serious, and warns Poppy that she should start thinking about having children and saving money. Poppy laughs her off, telling her that she is genuinely happy. The sister doesn't believe it, as clearly her definition of happiness is altogether different.

This is a film that grew on me as I watched it, and by the end I realized it was one of the better I've seen this year. There are some missteps, notably a bizarre scene in which Poppy wanders the streets and has an encounter with a homeless man. It's never explained exactly what she was up to--was she just looking for someone to cheer up? Seems pretty stupid to risk getting knifed just to bring a little joy to the mentally ill.

The film ends with a great scene in which Poppy and the driving instructor deal with their issues. Marsan is terrific as a fellow who seems to have been beaten down his entire life. He's racist and full of conspiracy theories. But he is a pretty good instructor--when I got in the car to leave the theater I found myself checking the rearview mirror intoning the same mantra he espouses.

At first blush this film appears to be precious, sort of like a British version of Amelie, but it is not, and as much as I liked Amelie it is more than that. Leigh has shown, I think, what makes people like Poppy tick, and how valuable they are to society, and frankly, how nice they are to have around.