Happy Go Lucky Lighting Up Award Season

06 January 2009

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Every award season there is an unexpected little gem that has taken either cinemas or the festival circuit by storm last year it was Once and the year before Little Miss Sunshine but this time around all eyes are on Happy-Go-Lucky.

Mike Leigh's upbeat movie, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, made little impact when it was released in the UK last April but it has won over American audiences when it was released in October, and it seems that the critics loved it too.

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 (Eddie Marsan), 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"?

Coming as a surprise to many this little British movie, which has propelled newcomer Sally Hawkins to stardom, has dominated awards ceremonies so far on the run up to the Oscars next month.

A string of Best Actress awards have come the way of Sally Hawkins, who had worked with Leigh on Vera Drake, as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards and the Satellite Awards all honoured her performance as the upbeat Poppy.

Most recently Happy Go Lucky found itself fighting it out for another big prize, in the form of the Golden Globes, when it was nominated for two prizes including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Hawkins' recent success has well as truly put her on the radar of Academy voters, as the first round of ballots began over Christmas, and Kate Winslet may not be the only Brit on the Best Actress shortlist as the newcomer is a real contender for a nomination.

And director Mike Leigh has a good history with the Academy Awards with his 2004 picture Vera Drake proving to be the dark horse that year bagging three nominations for Best Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

And while big names such as Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep and high profile movies such as Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are being surrounded by Oscar whispers it could be the little known movie and the breakthrough actress that could just upset a few parties.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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