Like the optimistic sibling of Naked. Both films have the same underlying view of the world, but Poppy simply chooses to be happy, unlike poor Johnny in Naked. Puts a smile on my face this one.

Poppy is the most infuriatingly annoying character I've seen in ages! To all those calling her the British Amelie, you are wrong! Amelie is a charming, lovely character who would never dream of being insulting whilst Poppy is an annoying, insulting, uninteresting character who occasionally might act in a reasonable caring manner. The only decent bit is the slightly interesting, slightly funny and really quite dark driving teacher character.

It's an american version of Amelié without any of the good stuff and with a quadruple dosage of the irritating stuff. Call me cynical but I'm glad I don't know anyone like Poppy.

It's a collection of random stories from life of "happy" schoolteacher who seems most of the time that she is either drunk or high. On the side that she is most of the time annoying, stories are too random to form a storyline of a movie.

About half the time the whole thing is ridiculously quirky just for the sake of it and I found myself getting irritated by the main character. Thankfully, the other half of the time has a great mix of funny moments and genuinely touching ones that give the film enough depth to make those quirky moments kind of work. The balance still isn't quite to my liking but I rather enjoyed it on the whole, and the ending is pretty good.

it takes a while to get used to this movie, at least for male. but it keeps growing all the time. often referred to as the british amelie, it takes a while until poppy develops the magic of her french equivalent but she does. mike leigh gets a very natural kind of acting out of his excellent cast which gives the movie a touch of real life. but sometimes it good a lump of sugar too much for my taste

She's like the British Amelie. Excellenet supporting cast.A nice big dose of female friendship without all the bullshit.

A very cute little film, this sweet British sort-of-romance was, at the same time, surprisingly real. Hawkins is irresistible, bubbly and a little naive and yet compassionate and charming. Not really classifiable as a drama, romance, or comedy, this film is a little of each, creating a wonderfully uplifting mix.

Sally Hawkins gives a a stellar performance in a film that is reverent, affirming and brilliant. The naturalistic aspect of Hawkins' performance is perhaps the definition of how true comedic brilliance should be portrayed, never is she showy, always the embodiment of Poppy. Mike Leigh once again provides a truly brilliant original screenplay and apt direction. Credible turns from Eddie Marsan and Alexis Zegerman.

When Poppy ventures into an unsavory part of town to interact with a homeless man, a situation that promises to deliver dire consequences for our heroine, we realize that Poppy's unflappable idealism is rooted in an urgent care for the world around her. And that's what makes the final encounter with driving tutor Eddie Marsan so devastating: It confronts the ability of our best intentions to reap unexpected, violent consequences, and even implicates us for them.

Cute; Then cloying; And finally, a completely compelling character study... Watch it, and feel yourself find your own compassion...

Joyful and thought-provoking, a pretty weird but unique combination that this film accomplishes without seeming desperate.

Fascinating character study of a person who's happiness leads her to live an interesting life. Fantastic shots, cute scenes and the ending just ensured it to be an instant classic.

#859 - 10 Ekim 08, filmekimi2008, emek sinemasi, 16:00 & http://sineofrenik.blogspot.com/2008/10/filmekimi-2008-happy-go-lucky.html

Not sure what Leigh's goal is here. Poppy is an extremely polarizing character & yet Leigh refuses 2 judge, SORT OF. He continually hints that Poppy's bubbly pie-in-the-sky need 2 help could lead not just to trouble, but tragedy & yet the film never makes the leap. Particularly in the final disturbing conflict, the ultimate outcome is left in the air. Poppy's personality might or might not lead 2 tragedy, but then again maybe not.Luckily the characters' relationships & great acting reel u in.

Mike Leigh's free directing and Sally Hawkins' lovely perfomance make it a must-see comedy.

Usual Leigh, still I wonder if he will ever get Naked again.

At first Poppy annoyed the fucking hell out of me but as the movie went on I took a liking to her and towards the end I began to admire her. While I can't say we'd be best friends or anything, I won't deny that the world could learn a lot from her.

Hawkins' zippily wondrous turn as Poppy could easily be one sharp note, a comic conceit with no soul. Instead, Poppy is fully developed with layers that belie simplistic impressions of how this character should operate. Poppy's character is built from the inside out with reserves of compassion, insight and intelligence that can get obscured by her regular bursts of cheeky laughter. Hawkins has thought through every bit of her and the thoroughness makes everything richer.

Un pelicula poco convencional. Dificil arriesgarse a recomendarla.

I love these "slice of life" movies and love the stupid quirky jokes that dot every second of the film. However, this is hardly a film for everyone. It's pretty manic and the British accents can be a little tough at times. If you're generally a pretty happy/goofy person give it a shot.

The leading characters are all interesting and multi-dimensional but there is not much in the way of story development and being entirely character-driven the character development needs to be more dramatic or radical. Inoffensive but not one of Mike Leigh's best films.

The film is well shot and the script is all those things it wants to be: quirky, serious, odd, nice, weird, good, normal... Acting is great, but movie has a serious problem. It's: quirky, serious, odd, nice, weird, good, normal. And never really good. Just average. No point. Maybe I was expecting too much after the really great Vera Drake. Still, it's watchable.

A great and intricate performance by Hawkins doesn't negate the fact that nothing actually happens in this film, though it is fun and, well, happy, to watch.

Sally Hawkins gives a superb performance.

Her character became gradually more and more irritating throughout the film. Still, it had its moments, especially the scenes with Scott, the driving instructor (who was by far the film's best character).

Couldn't really get around the fact that I found the character of Poppy annoying, which is odd because I liked the Scott character. I guess its because your supposed to like the Poppy character. In the end, while I thought the acting was good I just couldn't fully get engaged in this flick.

I can't take characters like this. Flawless comedic writing and excellent filming absolutely destroyed by a terrible performance of a terrible monster. The driving scenes were the reason I didn't give it a 10 or something like that. Especially the final one.

I don't know how I feel about this movie. The main character starts off irritating, REMAINS irritating, yet she somehow grows on you. There's not much plot per se, but I like the concept of this character that is just relentlessly cheery in the face of everything, without becoming a caricature. But in what I suppose would be the climax, I can't help but feel that there wasn't an actual climax or resolution. I think I like this movie, but it's hard to say. I'd say watch it out of curiosity.

Other than the fantastic acting, my favorite part of this movie was actually Leigh's wonderful cinematography, which involves lots of vertical orientation and tunneling. Pretty good film.