Review of Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) by William D — 22 Nov 2009

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" plays like a good cable-TV show. It's not as silly and light as its marketing would suggest, but it's not exactly deep either. The main character is a 30-year-old single woman who teaches first grade. She has a breezy, infectious charm but also a keen awareness of life's tough side. Watching her roll with the punches of life does lift the spirits. The sequences where she shows compassion to those who've been broken by life are also nicely uplifting.

If the film had been edited better, it would have succeeded better at its modest task. Leigh as usual overdoes things. There's no excuse for a dramedy like this to be two hours long. There was 90 minutes of content here, tops. Mike Leigh does like to ramble. The excessive length may try the patience of even those most apt to like a film like this. But for the length, I would have given the film a 7.