Happy-Go-Lucky ( Happy Go Lucky )

Happy-Go-Lucky (DVD) (*)

~~$21.99~~ $15.97

Alternate Title: Happy Go Lucky
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Berlin International Film Festival
British Independent Film Awards
European Film Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
114 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Behind the scenes
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Making Of
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2008 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Mike Leigh

Written By:
Mike Leigh

Actors:
Sally Hawkins ..... Poppy
Elliot Cowan ..... Bookseller
Alexis Zegerman ..... Zoe
Andrea Riseborough ..... Dawn
Sinead Matthews ..... Alice
Kate O'Flynn ..... Suzy
Sarah Niles ..... Tash
Eddie Marsan ..... Scott
Joseph Kloska ..... Suzy's Boyfriend
Sylvestra Le Touzel ..... Heather
Nonso Anozie ..... Ezra
Trevor Cooper ..... Patient
Karina Fernandez ..... Flamenco Teacher
Philip Arditti ..... Flamenco Student
Viss Elliot Safavi ..... Flamenco Student (as Viss Elliot)

Synopsis:

If you know the British filmmaker Mike Leigh's work - early and later titles like 'Bleak Moments,' 'Naked' and 'Vera Drake' - you may find yourself watching his most recent movie, 'Happy-Go-Lucky,' with mounting unease, a tinge of dread. Despite the extraordinary human parade that has passed in front of his lens, laughing and raging, yearning for love and asking for cuddles, Mr. Leigh has never been an artist for whom happy (word or idea) has been an easy fit. Life is sweet, as the title of another of his films puts it with a heart-swelling yes, but it's also an eternal fight against doom and gloom, the soul-crushing no. The push and pull between yes and no animates all of his work, investing it with narrative tension and a sense of artistic purpose that is, whether overtly articulated or not, also insistently, vigorously left-leaning. The hard-working and often besieged characters who populate his stories live in worlds partly defined, if not wholly circumscribed, by ideology and the state. Nobody mounts a soapbox or whistles 'The Internationale' in 'Happy-Go-Lucky,' but the film is so closely tuned to the pulse of communal life, to the rhythms of how people work, play and struggle together, it captures the larger picture along with the smaller. Like Poppy, the bright focus of this expansive, moving film, Mr. Leigh isn't one to go it alone.

Just how hard is it to be happy? In the effervescent new comedy from writer/director Mike Leigh, Sally Hawkins stars as Poppy, an irrepressibly free-spirited school teacher who brings an infectious laugh and an unsinkable sense of optimism to every situation she encounters, offering us a touching, truthful and deeply life-affirming exploration of one of the most mysterious and often the most elusive of all human qualities: happiness. Poppy's ability to maintain her perspective is tested as the story begins and her commuter bike is stolen. However, she enthusiastically signs up for driving lessons with Scott, who turns out to be her nemesis--a fuming, uptight cynic. As the tension of their weekly lessons builds, Poppy encounters even more challenges to her positive state of mind: a fiery flamenco instructor, her bitter, pregnant sister, a troubled homeless man and a young bully in her class, not to mention that she has also thrown out her back. How this affects not only Poppy's world view but also the outlook of those around her begs the question 'glass half full or half empty'?

Drama. Poppy is a happy-go-lucky thirty-year-old teacher in a North London school. When her bike gets stolen, she takes up driving lessons with uptight instructor Scott. When Poppy gets together with school social worker Tim, Scott is less than pleased.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 09 February, 2009.

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