Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan star in director Mike Leigh’s lighthearted comedy “Happy Go Lucky” concerning an eternally optimistic teacher living and working in North London. Thirty year-old teacher Poppy (Sally Hawkins) always has a smile on her face, and does her best to brighten the days of those around her by making small talk and cracking jokes. For the past ten years Poppy has lived with her best friend Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), a fellow teacher whose wry outlook on life serves as the perfect counterbalance to Poppy’s effervescent charm. One day, after her bike is stolen, Poppy decides that it’s time to take driving lessons and enrolls in the Axle School of Motoring. Almost instantly, Poppy and her stressed-out instructor Scott (Eddie Marsan) clash. Still, it seems that there’s more to this relationship than surface appearances would suggest. After accompanying her colleague Heather (Sylvestra le Touzel) to a tango class taught by a particularly passionate instructor (Karina Fernandaz), Poppy connects with kindly school social worker Tim (Samuel Roukin). Of course Tim can’t help but falling for a woman of such boundless compassion, but how will Poppy’s increasingly jealous driving instructor react to the news of her most recent romance?
“Happy Go Lucky” opened in the UK May 2008 – and at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival – to positive and glowing movie reviews, as one would expect from a movie from Oscar nominated director Mike Leigh. His “Secrets & Lies” earned a plethora of Oscar nominations a decade ago, including for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Expect a for Best Actress for Sally Hawkins.
