Upbeat film doesn't lose any of the meticulous detail

6:00am Thursday 17th April 2008

With award-winning films like Vera Drake, All Or Nothing, Secrets & Lies and Naked, Mike Leigh has cultivated a reputation as a writer-director who loves the company of misery.

Gentle laughter is frequently born of his characters' idiosyncrasies, pouring salt onto their deep emotional wounds without any promise of an end to their suffering and self-loathing by the time the end credits roll.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (15, 118 mins) Drama/Comedy.

Released: April 18

So his latest observational slice of London life, the aptly titled Happy-Go-Lucky, will come as a very pleasant shock.

Not only is this Leigh's most relentlessly upbeat and optimistic film for years, it doesn't lose any of the meticulous detail or rich characterisation, which is fleshed out with the actors during his legendary improvisational workshops.

Sally Hawkins deservedly garnered the Best Actress prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival for her bravura performance as perennially perky primary school teacher Poppy, who refuses to let life get her down, rising above the misery and cynicism of the capital and its weary inhabitants.

When her padlocked bicycle is stolen, she merely shrugs and smiles, "Oh no, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye," as if she has simply lost touch with a good friend.

Poppy meets her match in misanthropic driving instructor Scott (Marsan), whose quick temper and boundless pessimism are in stark contrast to her cheery disposition.

"Ooh, he's a bit frisky!" she giggles, getting to grips with the sensitive clutch.

Scott voices his disdain for his pupil's carefree attitude ("You can make jokes driving, Poppy, but you will crash and you will die!") but she refuses to be worn down by his constant sniping.

Their relationship takes an unexpected detour when Poppy begins dating a handsome social worker (Roukin), and Scott grows increasingly jealous of the new man in his student's life.

Happy-Go-Lucky is beautifully observed, leaving us with a broad, contented grin almost as big as Poppy's when the sun finally sets on Leigh's film.

Storm clouds threaten to gather in a couple of instances, like Poppy's late night conversation with a potentially violent tramp (Townsend), but her ebullience and tenderness are a balm to the gripes of the people around her.

Hawkins is mesmerising, a vision of brightly-coloured bangles and hoop ear-rings, whose mouth is often one step ahead of her brain.

"Do penguins emigrate? Emigrate, migrate, whatever!" she babbles, laughing at her own mistake.

Marsan is equally memorable as the nihilistic loner whose catchphrase ("Enraha!") should be adopted by beleaguered driving instructors across the land.

The conversational to and fro between these two is dizzying: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," rues Scott; "Sounds like fun!"

chuckles his pupil.

Unusually, there's no sting in the tail, not that it would worry Poppy one bit.

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