Hawkins shines in Leigh's delightful Happy-Go-Lucky

Who would of thought that the same dark pessimistic mind behind the chilling 1993 film Naked could have also produced Happy-Go-Lucky? True, Leigh's latest feature has its distressing moments, but these are in fact two films traveling in opposite directions at a hundred miles an hour.  This is a testament to Mike Leigh and his ability to create a diverse quality to his work; an experiment that several filmmakers attempt, but only the great ones truly succeed.  Much like Naked, Happy-Go-Lucky is anchored by a strong leading performance, only this time it is not a homeless cynic played the David Thewlis, but rather an overly optimistic primary school teacher by Sally Hawkins. She plays Pauline 'Poppy' Cross, an eccentric single thirty year old who despite all the obstacles life has thrown at her, remains happy and accepting. However, throughout the film her fresh optimistic view is severely tested, from a small incident like her bicycle being stolen to her clash with a misanthropic racist driving school instructor.  And it is in these scenes with the instructor where the film falters.  Leigh presents this poor man as an individual almost the complete opposite to 'Poppy' and his philosophical views on life vaguely recall those thoughts expressed by Thewlis's character in Naked.   The scenes in the training car, while they start off as an hilarious play on the differences between these two completely different individuals eventually turns into a series of dark and at times shocking moments that really feel out of place in a film of this nature.  That being said, Hawkins absolutely shines in a role that is sure to garner a lot of attention come January 22nd, when the Academy Awards nominations are announced. ~ 7.0

Christopher Misch

Next Projection, Managing Editor and Contributor