Review: `Happy-Go-Lucky' is hard to resist (AP)

Poppy, the perpetually sunny heroine of "Happy-Go-Lucky," finds that her beloved bicycle has been stolen from outside a London bookstore at the film's start. Not only is she not angry when she makes this discovery, but rather she says to herself, wistfully and with a wry smile, that she never even got to say goodbye to it.

The bully who torments his fellow students in the elementary-school class she teaches isn't a naughty boy to be scolded but rather a child in need of patience and understanding. And the homeless man she runs into while walking home alone one night isn't scary and potentially dangerous — he's just longing for a friend, like the rest of us.

That last example pushes the limits of what we're willing to accept, but you get the idea. Poppy is an extraordinary creature, but in the hands of engaging star Sally Hawkins and veteran writer-director Mike Leigh, she becomes real, vibrant and alive.

Leigh is known for far more serious fare like "Vera Drake" and "Secrets & Lies." "Happy-Go-Lucky" would seem to be a trifle by comparison, but he uses the collaborative improvisational technique that's become his trademark to create a warm, comfortable vibe around his characters. And if you look past the film's blithe veneer, it's really about something that's universally relatable: the quest for deep and fulfilling happiness.

With her wide smile, incessant chatter and zany patchwork of colorful clothes and jewelry, a little bit of Poppy goes a long way. Sometimes you want to wallow in your own misery and lie around on the couch all day eating chocolate chip cookie dough, and she'd never understand that. But two hours with her is just about perfect. Much of what makes her so compelling is the contradiction that lies within her. She seems to recognize the innate absurdity of the world, but instead of letting it get her down, she makes a game out of toying with it.

She's not overly simplistic like Forrest Gump — life isn't a box of chocolates for Poppy, it's a bag of Sweet Tarts. But like Forrest, she finds herself bopping from one unlikely adventure to the next, all of which Leigh captures in stripped-down, intimate style.

Once Poppy's bike is stolen, she decides to take driving lessons, and the instructor, Scott (Eddie Marsan) could not be more opposite in terms of temperament. He's a ranting, racist, homophobic misogynist; if Poppy loves everything, or at least is capable of showing interest in everything, Scott is consistently hateful. Their increasingly tense driving lessons provide the spine for "Happy-Go-Lucky," which might amble a bit otherwise.

Marsan serves as a worthy foe and foil for Poppy, and their exchanges have a giddy, bubbling energy about them. But he's not the only example of superb supporting casting. Alexis Zegerman brings a natural likability to her many scenes as Poppy's flatmate Zoe, a fellow schoolteacher, and Karina Fernandez is a riot as Poppy's volatile flamenco teacher.

"Happy-Go-Lucky" ends impossibly well on the romantic front for single, 30-year-old Poppy — a distracting drawback for a film that had, until then, seemed pretty well rooted in reality. Then again, Hawkins is so persuasively upbeat, she could probably make anything happen.

"Happy-Go-Lucky," a Miramax Films release, is rated R for language. Running time: 118 minutes. Three stars out of four.

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Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.