Review of Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) by Paul D — 06 Dec 2009

Sally Hawkins eternally positive and kooky performance might not be to everyone's taste, and her character can be as irritating as it is endearing, but she's the best thing about this movie. Eddie Marsden a close second as the bigoted and misanthropic driving teacher.

Other than that it's typical Mike Leigh fare, heavy on improvised dialogue and complex, nuanced characters.

What makes Happy-Go-Lucky not as good as his other works is that it doesn't tie up all it's loose ends. There's three or four plotlines which develop during the course of the movie and they're all left hanging. It's a shame to take all the gloss off an otherwise good movie with a naff ending, but it's still a worthy watch and generates a number of feel-good moments.