Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. Ahhhh... some days, you just know you’re going to be causing fanboy celebrations in the streets with one story after another that speaks directly to them. An ABBA musical... an arthouse biopic of Houdini... and the newest film from the great Mike Leigh... It’s like Christmas, isn’t it? In all seriousness, I love Leigh’s work, and I’m always excited to hear about what he’s doing. Can’t wait to lay eyes on this one myself, hopefully at some point this year...
Hi Harry, Long time reader, first time contributor here. I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of the new Mike Leigh (SECRETS & LIES, VERA DRAKE) film, HAPPY GO LUCKY at the Renoir Cinema in London (great, great arthouse cinema). The format of the preview was interesting in itself, in that it wasn't free (it had been advertised as a secret preview in the listings guides) and that we were allowed to pay whatever we thought it was worth at the end of the film, a la the honestly box/IN RAINBOWS Radiohead experiment. What did I pay? I'll get to that later.... The film follows Poppy, a single, 30 year old school teacher living in North London. From the second she appears onscreen, Poppy (played by the marvelous Sally Hawkins) becomes quickly established as yet another classic Leigh character. She is an almost hyperactively optimistic, 'glass-half-full' kind of woman, kind, contented, warm, humorous and full of the best intentions. This being a Mike Leigh film, there is little in the way of narrative and plot to speak of, instead negotiating a way into various character arcs through observing the relationships between Poppy and those who orbit her. She lives with her best friend, Zoe - another schoolteacher but a little more cynical than Poppy, and looks after her youngest sister studying at university nearby. But the real heart of the film begins when Poppy starts taking driving lessons. Her instructor, Scott (Eddie Marsan in a phenomenal role) is essentially the yin to her yang, her polar opposite - an intolerant and seething ball of misogyny, homophobia and racism. The extent of his bigotry and bile (and ultimately his pain) is what really helps propel the film along. Wisely, Leigh chooses not to pretend that two such diametrically opposed view points can co-exist peacefully, and whereas a lesser film may have offered Scott a way to find inner peace and enlightment through mere association with someone as saintly as Poppy, Leigh (as ever) opts for a more plausible scenario. The driving lessons are also whip crack smart and hysterically funny, moving along with verve, wit and at a lightning pace. Some of the gags are so buried in amongst everything that's going on that a few repeat viewings may be in order. (My favourites : when the racist Scott sees two black kids crossing the street ahead as Poppy is driving, he commands her to roll up her windows and lock the doors 'because they're on BIKES!!'. And Scott's ongoing apoplexy at Poppy's 'inappropriate footwear' is a great running joke. I guess you need to see them to get them...). There were a few unnecessary subplots (a bit of a Leigh habit this) with Poppy's charming but dull romance with Tim and Scott's transformation into the middle aged cockney version of Travis Bickle (sans bloodshed, natch) both feeling forced and unnecessary, shoehorned into the narrative to provide their final encounter with more dramatic weight. The film is fascinating as it is, without a contrived need for confrontation. We also briefly visit the uptight and pregnant middle sister in Poppy's family, in what again feels like a fake excursion to allow Leigh to make some kind of vague comment about how boring and lonely and lifeless people become when they move into the soulless suburbs. A very valid point, but one that's not particularly pertinent here. All that being said though, the film DOES provide a fairly accurate reflection of what it's like to live in London at the moment. More than that, and most impressively, Leigh really delves into the roots of bigotry and how diffierent people will react when confronted with a city as overwhelmingly diverse and multi-cultured as London. Some can embrace and love it, whilst others fear and seek to destroy it (in many ways, this makes an excellent companion piece to last years THIS IS ENGLAND). Leigh has also suceeded in making his most tonally diverse and intersting film in years, light years away from the great but ultimately dirgy and miserly VERA DRAKE or ALL OR NOTHING. Here, he really lets scenes breath and grow naturally. The result are some wonderful vignettes, the most memorable being a brief encounter between Poppy and an inchoate homeless man. It's funny, tense and tender all at once, and Leigh somehow manages to wring out moments of real lyricism amidst such stark naturalism. In short, a great, lively dramedy and one of Leigh's best in years, with two incredible central performances. Hawkins in particular does the difficult job of tackling a potentially irritating, saccharine and false character and turning her into a real person whose company you crave. Here's hoping that her Best Actress win at the Berlin Film Festival will be followed up with more awards recognition. Oh, and finally, I paid £5 but said I would have paid upto £9 (that's $18 kids so don't accuse me of being tight). The film goes on release in the UK on the 18th April (no US release has been set yet but this should make it out for awards season). If you use this, call me ManBearPig.
