The Best of British Cinema: ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ (2008)
Mike Leigh’s comedic drama is fuelled by great performances and character writing
I frankly cannot believe that we have managed to get more than 20 articles into my focus on The Best of British Cinema and have somehow only discussed the work of Mike Leigh once (weirdly enough, while talking about one of his most overlooked and often forgotten films, Meantime). Evidently, I’ve been leaning into my interest in Ken Loach more recently and have been unfairly leaving behind one of Britain’s greatest ever directors. Unless things change in the future unexpectedly, I should be discussing Leigh quite often — there are numerous films of his that should be seen by everyone. He is brilliant.
Happy-Go-Lucky, released in 2008, is most likely one of Leigh’s most accessible films. Like all of his work, it is far more focused on characters than it is on plot, and prioritises the reflection of mundanity over all else. In case the pattern hasn’t become obvious yet, many of my favourite British films hone in on realism, capturing the drily relatable facts of everyday living. Perhaps it is only because I am British, but I always find the ways that I can relate to these stories to be captivating. In the case of Happy-Go-Lucky, there’s less for me to relate to. Regardless, it’s a classic.
