HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

Mike Leigh’s eagerly anticipated new comedy arrives with much praise from the Berlin Film Festival where Sally Hawkins deservedly won the Best Actress Award. She plays Poppy, a young and very likable primary school teacher who has time for everybody. She is a free and generous spirit who loves her work and friends whom she often meets for a drink or two. Her abundance of energy and enthusiasm are infectious almost to everybody even to her grumpy and always angry driving instructor (Eddie Marzan). Leigh’s lovely film is beautifully observed and acted with a stunning central performance from Hawkins who is practically in every scene and carries the film effortlessly. Her characterization is a true original not often seen in the cinema. Her concentration in sustaining her character is truly admirable and she works brilliantly well especially with Marzan who plays the mad instructor who slowly falls for her. The driving lessons scenes are cleverly orchestrated and are simply hilarious. Karina Fernandez is also hysterically funny as the passionate flamenco class teacher who replaces her anger and hate on men with her teaching. It is great to see Leigh return back to his funny roots unlike his much more serious recent films like “Vera Drake”.