HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

Our apologies to everyone who came out to attend our first film of the New Year. It finally arrived today and we can keep it until next week. We will be showing it next monday (Jan. 19) at 5:15 and 7:45 pm.

The main actress (Sally Hawkins) won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, so come out and enjoy a great performance and a wonderful film.

Director: Mike Leigh
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Eddie Marsan
Run Time: 118 minutes
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2008
Language: English
Rating: PG (Coarse language)

Reviews: www.metacritic.com/film/titles/happygolucky

Official site: www.happygoluckythemovie.com/

Mike Leigh (Topsy-Turvy), often a highly political filmmaker, returns to his comedic roots in the delightful Happy-Go-Lucky, which had its premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival®. This latest work is a distinct change of pace after his critically acclaimed 2004 film Vera Drake, and it shows the sheer versatility of one of the cinema’s master filmmakers.

Blessed with a vibrant ensemble cast, innovative photography (by frequent Leigh collaborator Dick Pope), deft direction and a genuinely witty script, Happy-Go-Lucky is a vastly appealing comedy about life, love and knowing how to have fun. Poppy (Sally Hawkins, well regarded for her small roles in Vera Drake and All or Nothing) is a flamboyant, free-spirited elementary school teacher. As she rides her bicycle through the streets of central London, she smiles and waves at acquaintances and strangers alike; she’s constantly taken with life. After her beloved bicycle is stolen, Poppy decides to take driving lessons from the Axle “good driving is no accident” School of Motoring. There she meets Scott (Eddie Marsan, The Illusionist, Me and Orson Welles), her hypersensitive driving instructor. As she continues to see Scott for lessons, he becomes increasingly irritated yet equally infatuated by her bubbly, laissez-faire attitude, at one point angrily accusing her of being a flirt. Soon after, Poppy also meets Tim, a social worker from the school system who, by contrast, fully appreciates her effervescent attitude. Leigh and his cast have fun exploring the ins and outs of this classic romantic scenario. The extroverted Poppy and introverted Scott are seemingly like fire and water, constantly at each other’s throats. And then there is Tim, the other corner of the triangle. Who will win out?

There is a part of Poppy in each of us, urging us to laugh out loud, even during many of life’s terribly unfunny moments. Leigh’s good-natured comic spirit successfully steers us through Happy-Go-Lucky’s light and dark moments, shaping Poppy into one of his most memorable creations.

“Happy-Go-Lucky is as funny, serious, life-affirming and beautifully performed as anything Leigh has done….” – Philip French, The Observer

 

Fall 2008 Film Schedule Sept 8 - BEFORE THE RAINS Sept 22 - WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? Oct 6 - THE FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON Oct 20 - BRICK LANE Nov 10 - MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD Nov 24 - I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND Dec 8 - THE DUCHESS Jan 12 - HAPPY-GO-LUCKY Jan 26 - BRIDESHEAD REVISITED Feb 9 - I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG Feb 23 - FROZEN RIVER Mar 23 - THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES Apr 6 - LAST CHANCE HARVEY Apr 20 - WENDY AND LUCY May 4 - THE CLASS May 25 - PARIS June 8 - WALTZ WITH BASHIR June 22 - CHERRY BLOSSOMS