Happy Go Lucky

The latest installment from Mike Leigh was not what I expected. Even after reading the reviews, I kept thinking, "something horrible has gotta happen...where's the social drama?" That ended up adding some serious suspense to two key moments in the movie, which I won't divulge because I hate giving away plot. It actually made the movie more exciting to watch, knowing the kind of movies Leigh has made previously and having my audience expectations subverted.

So what is Happy Go Lucky really about? It really is about being happy. The main character, Polly, played by Sally Hawkins (whom you may recognize from Vera Drake or a deliciously bad lesbian BBC miniseries, Fingersmith), is truly a happy person. Through interactions with her friends, flirting, confrontations with family, and especially when she's alone, we realize that we cannot rationalize away her happiness as we are wont to do, thinking to ourselves, "oh, she's just being cheerful...he's just repressing things...she's gotta be faking it." Polly really is happy, and the reactions of people around her are astonishingly accurate and damning.

Why do we hate happy people? Why do we think they're so smug, and that they're rubbing their happiness in our faces? Why do we balk whenever anyone asks, "Are you happy?" These are all questions Leigh tackles in Happy Go Lucky, and I really admire the sharp observations he makes. I also loved the tone of the movie...not a lot happens, but it's always engaging, and the dialogue is very well-written.

Two things I really, really liked about this movie, aside from the fact that somebody managed to make life-affirming movie that doesn't make me gag but has quite a bit of substance, are the Buffalo '66-esque scenes with the driving instructor, which become so tragic toward the end, and the rather poetic moments where Polly is alone and observing the world around her. Through most of the movie, Polly talks a mile a minute and says cringe-worthy, awkward-yet-charming things, and when she lets up from the barrage, it feels like a breath of fresh air, and in those moments Polly's character takes on such depth that I can't believe I ever thought she was one-dimensional.

I highly recommend this movie. It might be one of the best I've seen all year. It's so original and well-filmed and well-acted and unusual--a happy-go-lucky film that doesn't leave a bad taste in one's mouth afterwards. Definitely give it a try.