Review of Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) by Brian H — 26 Apr 2009

Words that came to mind while watching this film: boring, drab, annoying, restless, long. I generally like Mike Leigh's films, but this didn't go anywhere. The character of Poppy verges on annoying and she doesn't seem to be able to live in the real world.

Maybe I'm cynical, but her upbeat demeanor eventually made me cringe. Maybe that was the point of the film and I did like a few of the scenes towards the end, especially the final moment. But it took so long to get there!!! This was definitely a slice of life or a character study or whatever, but I just was not interested.

The good side is some incredible acting and a handful of interesting scenes. But I feel like a lot of patience is required to enjoy this one.