Happy-Go-Lucky

There isn't a trace of irony in the title of this Mike Leigh film. Sally Hawkins is all exuberance and dizzy optimism as Poppy, a dedicated schoolteacher who bounds through a cloudy world with sunny optimism. She's not oblivious to the troubles around her (and there are a few, notably her tightly wound bigot of a driving instructor, played by Eddie Marsan), she has just chosen to meet life with a smile and a laugh, and Hawkins brings a dignity and a credibility to the role. She won a Golden Globe for her singular performance (which was criminally snubbed in the Oscars nominations). Features commentary by director Leigh and actress Hawkins, and the featurettes "Happy in Character" and "Behind the Wheel of Happy-Go-Lucky."