Categories: film
Tags: film review
Date: 18 May 2008 12:58:21
We went to see Happy-Go-Lucky last night, the latest Mike Leigh film. We both really enjoyed it, though were not impressed with the cinema not accepting a Scottish £20! Like many Mike Leigh films it was largely based around the characters, with them at the fore more so than any plot. I liked it because I used to live with primary school teachers (Poppy, the main character is a primary school teacher, as is Zoe her flatmate) and the scenes of them preparing lessons and actually teaching did ring very true to me (and also reminded me of life in the early-mid90s - rented flats, pub on Friday night, thinking that Camden market was the height of cool, all that sort of thing). It also showed London in a good light, just as it is - not fluffy like "Notting Hill" or menacing like all those gangster movies that have appeared over the years, but just as I remembered.
I couldn't figure out why the scene with the tramp was included, it didn't make any sense to me and had nothing really to do with the rest of the film at all, and the guy she ended up dating seemed a bit ordinary to me, for a girl as quirky as Poppy, but apart from that I did enjoy the film, and would definitely recommend it. The actress who played Zoe (the flatmate) looked really familiar (HD said he thought so too afterwards) but I didn't recognise the actress' name. I don't know if I've seen her in something else, or if she reminds me of someone I know in real life. At one point I was wondering if I'd ever been her health visitor, but I'm sure that's not it! Actually her character also reminded me a little bit of Auntie Doris in character, but she wasn't who I was thinking of. How annoying, I wonder who it is she looks like?