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Happy-Go-Lucky is a 2008 British film written and directed by Mike Leigh.
The main character is a 30-year-old bachelor woman, Pauline "Poppy" Cross, who shares a London flat with her best friend Zoe, a fellow teacher. The film follows the misadventures of the happy-go-lucky teacher as she attempts to get a driver's license and deal with the daily issues of her life and her teaching career.
Tropes associated with this work:[]
- An Aesop: Have fun and enjoy life. But know that you can't necessarily make everyone else happy.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: Opinions on whether Poppy is healthily happy or an annoying maniac vary widely.
- Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Scott accuses Poppy of this.
- BLAM Episode: Mike Leigh's previous work is much Darker and Edgier.
- Break the Cutie: Openly defied
- Cloudcuckoolander: Poppy. She is kinda happy her bike was stolen, because she always wanted to get a driving licence. She also stuffs chicken fillets in her bra, because: "I like the way they make me feel. Like a natural woman." When drunk she is even more random than usual.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Scott the driving instructor. 666! Pyramids! En-Ra-Ha!
- Cool Teacher: Poppy.
- Character Filibuster
- Cluster F-Bomb: Scott when he breaks down.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Scott.
- Deadpan Snarker: Zoe.
- Dear Negative Reader: Mike Leigh: "If people have a problem with Poppy I'm quite convinced that the problem is their problem, not Poppy's."
- Friend to All Children: Poppy and Zoe
- For Happiness: Poppy just wants everyone to be happy. But, as Zoe say in the end, "You can't make everyone happy!" - "There's no harm in trying, though, is there? Bring a smile to the world."
- Genki Girl: Poppy.
- Good People Have Good Sex
- Good Samaritan: Poppy, especially in her encounter with the homeless guy whom she offers help and listens to.
- Happy Couple: Poppy and Tim, going from Happy Date to Happy Couple with Happy Sex in mere hours.
- Heterosexual Life Partners: Poppy and Zoe. The even sleep in the same bed. And like to cuddle.
- The Hyena: Poppy.
- It's All About Me: Scott accuses Poppy of being like this. Ironically, when he accuses her of knowing how to drive and only wanting to take driving lessons so she can flirt with him and drive him crazy, he comes off as this.
- Jerkass Woobie: Scott.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: The whole film is something of a deconstruction - Poppy doesn't realise the way her behaviour can look flirtatious to an uptight, frustrated older man, while he doesn't realise she's a real person and not his rescuing Blithe Spirit.
- The Messiah: Guess who.
- Noble Profession: Poppy and her flatmate Zoe are shown as very capable primary school teachers. Especially Poppy lets her pupils have lots of fun in her lessons.
- Mistaken for Gay: Poppy jokes to Scott that she and Zoe are partners; unfortunately Scott has No Sense of Humour.
- No Sense of Humor: Scott. Poppy's older sister Helen as well.
- The Pollyanna: Up to Eleven
- The Power of Love: Sally Hawkins said Love is what the movie is all about.
- Psychologist Teacher: Poppy.
- Rousseau Was Right
- Serious Business: According to Scott, you can't have fun when learning driving a car
- Shallow Love Interest: Poppy's boyfriend is probably the least interesting person in the film.
- Slice of Life
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Poppy is on the one end, Scott on the other. The movie observes what happens when they interact. Word of God states the movie leans more towards the idealistic side. Mike Leigh says the movie is "anti-miserablist".
- Sweet Dreams Fuel: As long as you like Poppy and what she does, this movie can really cheer you up.
- The Woobie: Poppy alludes to this trope when she says she wants to give her dance instructor (who just had a meltdown over some shattering recent breakup and had to leave the classroom) a hug. Her friend notes that the instructor probably wouldn't know what to make of it, if one of her students hugged her.
- You're Just Jealous: says Suzy when Helen feels threatened by Poppy just being happy without being worried about having a husband, house or life insurance.