In the opening minutes of Mike Leigh’s new film, Happy-Go-Lucky, Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a 30-year-old primary school teacher, wanders into a bookstore and reads aloud the title of a large tome on the bookcase before her. “‘The Road to Reality,’” she says with mock seriousness. “Well, I don’t want to be going there!” It is a infinitesimal, almost throwaway line, but it sets up almost everything we need to know about a woman so vivacious and bubbly that one might be forgiven for imaging her slightly mad.

Nothing seems to be able to put a dent in Poppy’s mood or wipe the smile from her face. Free-spirited and unflappable, Poppy always sees the best in every situation. While others grumble and whine, Poppy is a tireless cheerleader, naturally prone to giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. She spends her days building up hearts and minds at school and her nights and weekends with her dearest friends, especially her roommate, the dry-witted Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), tossing back drinks and trying to snare guys.

After her bike — her sole means of transportation — is stolen (no, not even this seems to bother her), Poppy decides it might finally be time to learn how to drive. Her instructor is Scott (Eddie Marsan), a cantankerous, racist, conspiracy theorist who takes his job very, very seriously and is frustrated to no end by his new pupil who doesn’t seem to have a serious bone in her body. Poppy, for her part, enjoys egging Scott on. She just wants him to come out of his shell and see the world in a different light, but little does she realize that not everyone enjoys her good-natured ribbing. For some, like Scott, Poppy is an “agent of chaos,” leading to a confrontation that will force the young woman to reassess her worldview and learn the hard way that the world can be a very dark place and not every problem in life can be solved with a joke.

Sally Hawkins is a comic revelation, an impish, endlessly charming sprite who absolutely dazzles in a script that, at times, comes across incredibly fast and furious, like a British screwball comedy. Director Leigh, known more for his dark and serious fare, relishes in a story that is as fresh and feel-good as they come. Famous for extended rehearsals, Leigh spent as much time with his actors behind the camera as they did in front of it, giving his cast the time to discover their alter egos and improvise their lives. The result is sublime. Hawkins’ interaction with Marsan’s crankiness is like the fabled collision between matter and anti-matter; they could not be more dislike. If the movie consisted only of their scenes, it would not be a comedy at all. It would be a British reimagining of Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.

We realize early on that, for Happy-Go-Lucky to have a point, Poppy cannot remain the effervescent innocent. She doesn’t take anything seriously, even when she should. She often thinks she’s funnier than she really is and doesn’t know when to hold her tongue. While it’s true she is not judgmental of others, she should, perhaps, be a bit more judgmental about herself. Her upbeat personality and compassion for others is laudable, to be sure, but imbues her with a naiveté that traps her as a child in an adult’s body. When she finally decides to grow up and expose herself to the darkness all around her, it does not destroy her spirit so much as refine and redirect it. For every season there is a time, a time to laugh and a time to cry. Finally, Poppy learns how to distinguish between the two.

Poppy ends the film wiser, but no less upbeat. Ultimately, we are forced to agree with the cheery protagonist, “You can’t make everyone happy, but there’s no harm in trying.”

© Copyright 2008 Brandon Fibbs. All rights reserved