I’ll be honest. I had to give this film two goes. The first time I started watching it with my housemate Carrie, Poppy annoyed us so much in the first scene that we switched it off and watched Meet the Fockers instead.
I watched it again just now though (I must have been feeling very patient or something), and have decided that the last 118 minutes were well spent. Poppy’s not annoying after all, just twinkly, and mischievous, and warm, and funny. She’s a thirty year old primary school teacher who lives with her best friend Zoe. She goes trampolining every week, and is learning to drive, courtesy of the strange (and a bit disturbing) Scott. She also only ever wants to make people happy.
Happy-Go-Lucky made me smile, almost get a bit teary, clench my buttocks, and gave me a penchant for weird tights. If you liked Secrets and Lies, also by Mike Leigh, then you’ll probably enjoy this. A lovely way to pass a Sunday afternoon.
Rating: 
