Don't Worry, Be Happy 

Some people seem naturally joyful. Take Poppy. She’s one of those women who will walk into a store and happily engage a stranger in conversation — whether he likes it or not. In other words, she can be really annoying.

But as the title adjective of the new film, Happy-Go-Lucky (out October 10), Poppy is another masterful creation of Mike Leigh, the British filmmaker who has a way with working-class women. Like Imelda Staunton’s abortionist in Vera Drake or Brenda Blethyn’s factory worker who meets the grown child she’d placed for adoption in Secrets & Lies, Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is an unlikely protagonist whose quirks are alternately funny and touching but always truthful. Whether she’s counseling a troubled student or learning flamenco, Poppy has a way of savoring life’s moments.

At the center of Happy-Go-Lucky is Poppy’s weekly driving lesson from Scott (Eddie Marsan). A rigid, quick-tempered homophobe, Scott punctures even Poppy’s optimistic outer layer, revealing the schoolteacher’s true self and showing that, even for Poppy, happiness is a choice.


Happy-Go-Lucky will open October 10 from Miramax Films.