Sunday, April 27, 2008

Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky features: a scene in Crockatt and Powell (with someone serving who is the antithesis of both Adam and Matthew); a quirky teacher who dresses in bright colours and whose response to picking up Penrose's tome 'The Road to Reality' is along the lines of "I don't think so!"; and several confrontations about the need to 'grow up' that are refuted with verve. It concentrates on a character who despite all the petty difficulties life throws at her, despite the damaged people she encounters, nevertheless retains empathy and positivity (whilst also managing to convey that underneath all her energies to remain so 'happy-go-lucky', she can feel the darkness: the scene with the homeless man, incoherent, is almost heartbreaking in showing a brief splinter of sadness and recognition of the reality she earlier shunned).

Come on: you've got to have guessed I really liked this film.

The cast is great, turning in several cracking performances (Hawkins and Marsen are especially good) and though your head may explode if you try to follow how the hell she did the opening bike ride, I'd certainly recommend it.

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