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Some people are just too good for the world. They smile constantly, never show a bitter emotion, always have time to listen to someone else’s problems, always make an effort to be cordial and always want others to be as happy as them. To most of us, people like this can be quite an annoyance. Why is that? Are we, as a people, so wrapped up in our own little lively melodramas that we need to wallow, and can’t stand it when the rest of the world does not wallow with us? It’s not exactly a soup question, and I do not intend to answer it here. But just think about it.
Leaving the theater Sunday, after having viewed Mike Leigh’s new film, Happy-Go-Lucky, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about these things. It is a film about just such a person. A person too good for this world. Fictitious, yes, but genuinely good in such a staggering way that you wish there were more people around like her. She is Poppy, a 30 year old school teacher in London with such a bold outlook on life it becomes infectious as we simply watch her live. And that is really all we see in this film. A woman living. There is no real plot to speak of. The story plays out more like tiny episodes in the life, and each one brings us closer to Poppy in fairly unexpected ways.
We first see Poppy riding her bicycle through the streets, all smiles and kind waves at other pedestrians. It is an entrancing moment in cinema. Never before have I felt so deeply entwined with a fictional character just by watching them ride a bicycle. It is a moment of pure joy for her, and a pure joy to watch. We don’t get much more if it, though, as the bicycle is promptly stolen while she peruses a local book shop. She emerges to find her bike gone, but does not get angry, or even disappointed. She just grins and bears it. If she is disappointed at all, it is only because she did not get the chance to say goodbye to it. Really…she really is like that.
The theft of her bicycle prompts her to take some driving lessons, I’ve been told they have wonderful public transportation in England so it is possible for a person of 30 to not have a driver’s license. This brings one of the larger storylines in the film as she meets her driving instructor Scott, wonderfully played by Eddie Marsan (imdb him, you have probably seen him half a dozen times, but you still won’t recognize him). If you looked up the term road rage in the dictionary you would see this guy’s picture, and the way this storyline plays out is funny, sad, and then just disturbing. But that’s life. And Poppy takes it all in stride, only flinching a moment as things come to a head with Scott. It is a devastating scene that exposes both characters in very deep ways. There are other stories as well; a student with some serious anger problems, a pregnant sister that seems to have a perfect life but is clearly lacking something, a very out of place, but very touching moment with a menacing homeless man, and a couple of positively brilliant scenes with a flamenco instructor. Not to mention a lovely relationship with her flat-mate Zoe, and a budding romance with a school counselor. The life and times of Poppy couldn’t be more fun to watch.
Poppy is surely the role of a lifetime for Sally Hawkins, whom I am ashamed to not know better. From opening scene to the delightful closing moments, she is all smiles and good intentions. Mike Leigh put a lot of faith in Mrs. Hawkins and it pays off in full. There is never a false moment throughout, and I can’t help but cringe at the amount of pressure there must have been on Hawkins to carry the cheerfulness throughout an entire feature film shoot. Think about that. It couldn’t have hurt that she was working with Mike Leigh who is a very gifted film maker. Here is another film that is clearly very well planned and laid out, but feels completely spontaneous. Factor in a lovely, unusual score and camera work by world class DP Dick Pope, and you have a pretty special little film.
This is the sort of film you should go see when you are having a bad day. It will certainly cheer you up. Of course, I was having a very good day when I saw it, and it just made my day even better. I guess what I’m saying is go see this movie. It will make you want to be nicer to the people around you. And who couldn’t do with a little more joy in their life?
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