If the last film you watched by Mike Leigh was Naked, you'll be very surprised by the lighthearted quality of this gem from 2008, Happy-Go-Lucky. If the last film you watched by Mike Leigh was Naked, you also need to get out more, since Naked launched way back in 1993... The string of great films since then have shown the seriously wide range of talent Leigh possesses for conceptualizing a great film, surrounding himself with the right talent, and executing his vision. Happy-Go-Lucky is one of his most festive creations, but fans of the deeper, darker side of Leigh won't be disappointed.

The camera stays mostly trained on actress Sally Hawkins in the role of Poppy, a woman (30 years young, she'll insist) living with her flatmate, teaching primary school, and still keeping her options in life open. Imagine the quirky physicality of a Jim Carrey, combined with the no-nonsense British version of femininity in someone like Emma Thompson, and then throw in the irresistible cuteness of a Meg Ryan. Sally Hawkins makes everything work in this film. Without her unique ability to mug for the camera one moment and show heartfelt emotion a split-second later, Happy-Go-Lucky would be a syrupy mess. This perfect balance she strikes allows Leigh's film to be more than a chick flick about girls in a big town finding their way through life. There is a very nuanced treatment of this, but it's not the focus. Another misread of Happy-Go-Lucky would be that it is a rev on Amelie, a portrait of a fun, magical girl and the people she touches. It's not that this isn't layered somewhere into the film, but the message of magic and sentimentality that Amelie pushed just doesn't make it into Happy-Go-Lucky.

Poppy's defining characteristic is her complete unwillingness to be down in the dumps or self-indulgent. She's living in the present and not spending much time worried about where she's been or where she's going, it might seem. The simplistic breakdown of Happy-Go-Lucky is that it involves a series of narratives where Poppy gets involved with people that aren't nearly as successful as she is at dodging life's little bullets. She doesn't go out of her way to "fix" these people, but she does seem eager to understand their situation. The results of her attempts to connect with people are often hilarious, sometimes disastrous, and always drop another breadcrumb for the viewer that seems to be leading toward an interpretation of Poppy as being more than a frisky, airheaded moppet. By the end of Happy-Go-Lucky, we've seen Poppy work through enough emotional turbulence to know that she's on the right track. She's more than just a pretty face and a good sense of humor, and although things aren't settled for her, there is a palpable sense of hope.

Perhaps it's because we've seen a sufficient number of hollow characters, undone by their hubris or false sense of security, that our guard goes up immediately when we see a mugging guy or gal that appears impervious to harm. We are waiting for the other shoe to drop, which it does and does not in Happy-Go-Lucky. Leigh seems interested in using Poppy as a reflection for the film's other characters, so they and their dilemmas seem more "real" and in need of resolution. Whatever his intention, Leigh has built a great vehicle for Sally Hawkins that is pure delight to watch, and that still manages to work in some subtle emotional themes related to how people manage through and sometimes overcome life's challenges. Highest recommendation.

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