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Avg. Critic Score: 84 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Won't break your heart -- it will make it soar. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This is Mike Leigh's funniest film since "Life Is Sweet" (1991). Of course he hasn't ever made a completely funny film, and Happy-Go-Lucky has scenes that are not funny, not at all. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The London universe Leigh creates (employing his trademark improv techniques to unite his ensemble, many of whom make their film debuts) isn't so much a reality as a hope, and an invitation to find joy and grace in everyday moments. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Mr. Leigh has never been an artist for whom happy (word or idea) has been an easy fit. Life is sweet, as the title of another of his films puts it with a heart-swelling yes, but it's also an eternal fight against doom and gloom, the soul-crushing no. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    It is that rare film that is equal parts entertaining, life-affirming and thought-provoking. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    No list of the year's best performances should be made without her (Sally Hawkins). Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    As is always the case with Leigh's protagonists, Poppy does not fit into a schematic log line, she simply is. She exists with an intensity that few other filmmakers' characters can manage because of the singular way Leigh creates his people. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    The key to enjoying the film is warming up to the heroine, Poppy. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    As surprising as it is delicious with an indelible performance by new star Sally Hawkins. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety |

    Mike Leigh's mellowest work yet, and his most purely entertaining. Read full review

View more reviews for Happy-Go-Lucky on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Thoughtful comedy's charm outweighs mild iffiness.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that, despite its "R" rating, there's very little offensive or upsetting material in this British comedy. With the exception of one profanity-filled, angry outburst near the end of the movie, the salty language is mostly a means of colorful, humorous expression. The young professional female characters do drink socially -- and get very drunk once -- but they don't engage in irresponsible behavior. Sexuality is limited to some playful teasing among the young women and one scene between adults who kiss, begin to undress, and sink onto a bed. A chance encounter between the heroine and a mentally ill homeless man is scary for a few moments but resolves without violence. She also has to deal with the explosive jealousy of an unstable admirer.
  • Families can talk about what the movie means by "happy go lucky." Do you have to be naïve and unaware of the world's problems in order to be "happy"? How did the movie show that always trying to see life's bright side didn't mean that Poppy wasn't responsible and intelligent as well? What kind of choices did she make when facing angry or unhappy people? Were they good choices? Why or why not? Can you understand why some people were annoyed by Poppy's sunny personality?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: A solidly caring, good person interacts with assorted eccentric, troubled characters (including one angry bigot). She exhibits responsible, sensitive behavior and a natural ability to do the right thing.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Schoolyard pushing and shoving; a homeless man appears threatening and volatile but really isn't; a man loses his temper, drives erratically, and menaces leading character.
  • sex false3 Sex: Playful banter and tossing of "falsies"; a young woman is shown in bra and panties during scene in physical therapy office; kissing and partial undressing during flirtatious sexual foreplay; some degree of uncertainty regarding the nature of the feelings between the two women in the story's central friendship.
  • language false4 Language: There's one extended sequence during which a key character has a violent outburst of venomous cursing, including all forms of "f--k" and "bulls--t." Other scattered swearing and profanity includes "pissed off," "buggered off," "t-ts," "nipples," "pubic triangle," "crap," "bitch," and "bastards."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Tesso Oil.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking in many scenes. The film's opening sequence follows a group of female friends partying in clubs, then finds all of them very drunk and silly in an apartment. One character smokes and vows to quit.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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