Review: Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
It is so rare to watch a movie that motivates you to look at your life in a different way. Even rarer still is a movie that makes you want to take a more positive outlook on life, instead of the other way around (seriously, how dark and dreary are our "serious" films these days? not that I'm really complaining, since I'm a glutton for a good tragedy).

"Happy-Go-Lucky" is about the different ways that people live their lives: some, like an abused boy in Poppy's class, have psychological choices made for them. But, if we're lucky, we have a choice. Everyone's worldview is different-- heavily influenced by their environment, but also individually-crafted. When someone's bike gets stolen, they might shout or curse, or call the police. What does Poppy do? She shrugs her shoulders and says with a smile, "I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

Poppy (played brilliantly by Sally Hawkins) has chosen to be happy; others choose to be angry, or to be sad, or to be something in between, but Poppy wants to be happy, and wants others to be happy, too.

In the beginning she is someone that annoys most of us. With her effortless optimistic and constant energy, she was obnoxious enough to make me roll my eyes more than once. Doesn't everyone just hate people like that? Why are they so happy?

But stick it out, because by the end you might understand why Poppy is happy. In other films, you might expect there to be this "hidden side"-- this dark and painful interior that is masked by a bubbly expression and charming wit. What is radical about this film is that that simply isn't the case. You have to see just how complex this character truly is, but it is not in the way you might expect.

Mike Leigh has made a character study for a film, peeling back the layers of this optimistic schoolteacher until we see that, more than just being peppy, she is a truly good person and genuinely cares. Honestly, how many people can we say that about, both in real life and in Hollywood? In one scene she approaches a homeless man who is sitting alone outside, shouting incoherently to himself. He repeats the same things over and over, then pauses only long enough to say, "You know?" Poppy listens intently and replies sincerely, "I know." She was probably the first person to talk to him in days-- weeks, even-- and she not only talks; she listens. Poppy wants to be happy, so others will be happy.

If only it were that simple.

At exactly the same moment that we (the viewers) are all thinking it, Poppy's roommate Zoe suggests, "You can't make everyone happy." Poppy's response? "But there's no harm in trying, is there?"

And really, is there?

See this movie immediately-- not because it is a particularly funny comedy, or even all that warm and fuzzy, but because it is a brilliant, inspiring portrait of a genuinely good person. When was the last time you saw a movie like that?

And afterward, when you are feeling short-tempered or put-upon (which I know I feel daily on my commute), you will be asking yourself, "What would Poppy do?" That lasting impression is the mark of a great movie. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Review: The Visitor

The Visitor (2007)
It has been a rare few weeks without a single movie watched. The start of a job will do that to you. My first return to my blissful comfort zone was The Visitor, by the director of The Station Agent. I am sure that does not register with a lot of you, but having seen his previous work I knew what to expect from this one.

The Visitor lived up to all my expectations. Like Thomas McCarthy's previous film, this Sundance hit is a wonderful little indie gem, full of surprising acting chops and highly relatable characters. In the end, that is really the strength of this film: the characters are wholly authentic. Every blink, every frown, every smile is as real as you can find in the movies today.

The plot follows an emotionally-detatched intellectual (Richard Jenkins) continously mourning the death of his wife. When he goes to his NYC apartment for a conference, he finds two illegal immigrants living there. Instead of freaking out, he invites them to stay.

I am sure you can guess the rest (emotional awakening! the value of connecting with people! the issue of immigration in post-9/11 USA! etc). The story is a bit clunky at times, and maybe a bit heavy-handed, but the individual characterizations are so refreshingly realistic that the heavy-hand is lightened by their easy nature.

The highlight of this film for me was when the two older characters found a companionship they had long stopped seeking out. This type of storyline is rarely played out right. Sometimes, as in Something's Gotta Give, it is just awkward. Oftentimes, it is cheesy, or ignored altogether. In The Visitor, the subtle connection is explored with the appropriate amount of reserve, respect, and care.

This movie is about the happy and sad surprises in our lives, and how inextricable they are from each other. Ultimately, life becomes just one long string of them. But, the moral of the story is that each of them shapes us. Hopefully, in the end, we can find a way to adapt to being happy.

And, it is so nice to watch a movie that is not populated exclusively by the Beautiful People Club™. Even indie films have gotten too beautiful lately.

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