Happy Go Lucky movie review

There are no big robots in this movie.

Stuff doesn't blow up.

And the hero doesn't change.

So--how did Sally Hawkins win the Golden Globe for best actress for HAPPY GO LUCKY in 2008?

I remember as a kid--growing up in the 70's--the feeling that people used to walk out of movies and ask "what was that about?"

This level of engagement wasn't done in the tone of cynicism that we have now.

People really wanted to know.

And--if you haven't seen the movie--I can't really tell you what HAPPY GO LUCKY is about--because we aren't spoon-fed the answer.

And reading the logline won't help one bit--there is no primary desire of the hero--no big obstacles to overcome.

Here's the logline from IMDB: 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.

IMHO the movie is about a collision of worldviews--and Poppy wins.

SPOILER ALERT:

Okay--here's a few things that I took away from some scenes that weren't spelled out.

There's a scene in which Poppy inexplicably visits a homeless man--it's fraught with tension--and we are never told who this man is or why she went to see him.

It's implied that she went there to look for clues about a troubled student of hers--but later there's a "throwaway" bit of dialogue in which she says to her sister: "It runs in the family" regarding mental illness. I think this homeless man may be her father or an uncle.

And the climax--when the driving school instructor assaults her because she won't return his car keys after he's driven around like a maniac.

This climax is one of the best twists I've seen.

It works because Poppy's worldview conquers: Poppy's kindness has been mistaken as a weakness by everyone--especially those who don't really know her--throughout the story.

Poppy's unspoken attitude seems to be this: "I'm happy to be alive. I'm happy to have the gift of consciousness. If you want to be miserable, that's your business. I am going to enjoy the gift of life."

Poppy has made a conscious choice to be "Happy Go Lucky."

I love this worldview and it fits with my own: life is too short not to enjoy it.

I really can't give a movie higher praise than that.

Well done.