Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

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.

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh

Stars:

Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 38 wins & 54 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Hawkins	...	Poppy
Elliot Cowan	...	Bookshop Assistant
Alexis Zegerman	...	Zoe
Andrea Riseborough	...	Dawn
Sinead Matthews	...	Alice (as Sinéad Matthews)
Kate O'Flynn	...	Suzy
Sarah Niles	...	Tash
Eddie Marsan	...	Scott
Joseph Kloska	...	Suzy's Boyfriend
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Heather
Anna Reynolds	...	Receptionist
Nonso Anozie	...	Ezra
Trevor Cooper	...	Patient
Karina Fernandez	...	Flamenco Teacher
Philip Arditti	...	Flamenco Student

Storyline

Poppy Cross is happy-go-lucky. At 30, she lives in Camden: cheeky, playful, frank while funny, and talkative to strangers. She's a conscientious and exuberant primary-school teacher, flatmates with Zoe, her long-time friend; she's close to one sister, and not so close to another. In this slice of life story, we watch her take driving lessons from Scott, a dour and tightly-wound instructor, take classes in flamenco dance from a fiery Spaniard, encounter a tramp in the night, and sort out a student's aggressive behavior with a social worker's help. Along the way, we wonder if her open attitude puts her at risk of misunderstanding or worse. What is the root of happiness?

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | lesson | social worker | friend | happiness | 

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Taglines:

The one movie this fall that will put a smile on your face.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [France] Momentum Pictures [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happy-go-lucky

Filming Locations:

Holloway Road, Holloway, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£385,190 (UK) (18 April 2008)

Gross:

$3,494,485 (USA) (16 January 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Summit Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Poppy was written specifically for Sally Hawkins.

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Goofs

Poppy cycles South of the river over Blackfriars Bridge but gets off in postcode EC1 (shown on a road sign), which is north of the river. A minute later, when she walks into a shop, she's in SE1 - which is where she should have ended up.

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Quotes

Title Card: [first lines]
Poppy: [pulls out book from shelf] The Road to Reality...
[smiles and pushes the book back]
Poppy: Don't wanna be going there!
[laughs]

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Connections

References Splinter Cell (2002)

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Soundtracks

ABC
Written by Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell (as Alphonso Mizell), Deke Richards and Berry Gordy
Published and Licensed Courtesy of Jobete Music Co Inc/EMI Music Publishing

User Reviews

The Age Of Wisdom

An optimistic tale from Mike Leigh of all people. This is one of those films in which everything comes gloriously together. It is impossible to imagine it without Sally Hawkins. This is one case in which actress and character merge into one spectacular creation. In fact Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky and Melissa Leo in Frozen River are the two best female performances I've seen in a long, long time. Sally Hawkins's Poppy is a teacher a wise, compassionate, strong, extraordinary teacher. She seems totally unaware of it but we are not. All she knows is that she loves her job. That feeling, if true, can be very contagious. We fall for her not because some kind of gimmick but because her truth precedes her and we learn to know her and respect her almost immediately. As if this wasn't enough, she's very, very, funny.