A Better Way
Written: Dec 02 '08 (Updated Dec 03 '08)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Expert camera work, wonderful role model.
Cons: In Great Britain they drive on the "wrong" side of the road.
The Bottom Line: If you're tired of movies, you'll still like this one.
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| topreviewerman's Full Review: Happy Go Lucky |
This movie is character driven more than plot driven, so to understand it, you'll need to understand Poppy, whom it's all about.
Happy-Go-Lucky is such a great name for this movie because the 'y' ending words put a smile on your face just saying them. Same with Poppy herself, the central figure and focus of the movie: her real name is Pauline but everybody calls her Poppy. And she makes people smile. Have you ever had read to you that great chapter on charity, 1 Corinthians 13? Often the reader will substitute the word love for charity thinking he is doing us a favor, but charity is love with a smile on it, (and found in any good dictionary). For that matter lazy is one of those smiling words, and since the "love" chapter has charity delineated already, I'll just take the easy way out and go down that list of what Poppy is all about.
(1) "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." In one scene Poppy has all her little school charges dress up as various birds and sets them all to squawking at once. Were it not for the charity radiating through the whole display, I'd probably walk out of the theater, but I enjoyed it.
(2.) "And though I have ... all knowledge, and have not charity, I am nothing." She browses through a bookstore without buying any books, but she is especially friendly in her greeting to the absorbed clerk and so becomes "somebody" even without any reading material.
(3.) "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." She makes a concerted effort to connect with a homeless man, even at personal risk, not just giving him a handout, and so profits from the encounter.
(4.) "Charity suffereth long, and is kind;" she accepted a lot of verbal abuse from her driving instructor Scott and still treated him kindly. "Charity envieth not;" she was not envious of her sister's savings or of her flatmate's friendship with Tim her boyfriend. "Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." When learning the flamenco, the dance, she was more into floating above her space than in a firm flaunting possession of it—as her foot-stomping instructress was demonstrating.
(5.) "Doth not behave itself unseemly," as she was very seemly in her treatment of a problem pupil. "Seeketh not her own," as in not vigorously claiming "this is my space" in the dance. "Is not easily provoked," was unwilling to call the police on Scott as it wouldn't do him any good. "Thinketh no evil;" saw in the bullying child a kid who was himself abused.
(6.) "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" didn't leave unconcerned when Scott was too mad to drive, but retained the car keys until he'd calmed down.
(7.) "Beareth all things," laughed at the pain her prodding doctor discovered. "Believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." When finding the book on the shelf Road to Reality put it back saying, "Don't want to go there."
(8.) "Charity never faileth: but whether ... there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." Scott's teaching method had more to do with knowledge than with love. His mirror-triangle system was obviated in the roundabout where the rule was just to merge and follow. Charity is more enduring than a knowledge based system.
The chapter ends with a note on maturity to come, and "Happy-Go-Lucky" ends with Poppy and her flatmate wishing to become adults as they aimlessly paddle around a boat in their (pretend) flooded flat. If you ask me they are already more mature (at 30) than most people I encounter in film or elsewhere.
This movie is light on plot and heavy on character following Poppy around from one scene to another. If there is any plot it would be a comparison of the instruction method of Scott as opposed to Poppy's way of living, but then the great chapter on charity is Paul's suggestion of "a better way" than the technical instruction in the preceding chapter (12).
Scott's main character flaw is he's a busybody, another double 'y' word as mentioned in (1 Peter 4:15), "But let none of you suffer as ... a busybody in other men's matters." Modern Bibles update the word for us to meddler—as they change charity into love. You can chastise your mother-in-law for being a busybody and still keep a smile on your face which you can't do calling her a meddler.
Scott is a once-a-week instructor but wants to know Poppy's living arrangement, what's her relation to her flatmate? "I love her," she replies. "What do you mean, you love her?" "I love her; she loves me; we love each other." Then he stakes out her apartment on an off day to catch her with her boyfriend.
I'm somehow reminded of the Nazis, although, to be sure, this comparison is made overmuch. Under their criminal code, male homosexuals could face up to five years in prison (ten years for corruption of a minor), but there was no law per se against lesbianism, in part because women were more demonstrative in their affections with each other than were men, so it was harder to tell what was going on with them, and the authorities didn't want to be bothered. If there is any question about Poppy, it is laid to rest when Tim enters the scene and they have a date. That and the flatmates' lament, "Where are the good men?"
The funniest scene, as far as I'm concerned was during Scott's instruction when he warned Poppy, upon making a turn, to check her mirrors because she might run into a confluence. She turns in virtually nonexistent traffic and takes panicked evasive action saying, "There's a confluence! I saw one!" Scott completely loses it and it got me laughing because I saw so much of myself in his method, of clear words to communicate and then using a big one forgetting his audience.
I could also mention Poppy's attire. The way one dresses is personal and reflects her personality. She was one gay bird, not only in her outer garments but in her under garments as well, as seen in the doctor's office and in the (discreet) bedroom scene with Tim.
The camera work looked like it was done by someone who knew what he was doing. It was both efficient and interesting.
This would be a good film when you don't know what you want to see but you don't want to be disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Feel-good Movie
Viewing Method: Studio Screening/Premiere
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
topreviewerman
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Member: Earl Gosnell
Location: Eugene, OR
Reviews written: 81
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
BSEE, U. of Cincinnati. Ordained minister, United Congregation of Friends. Poet Laureate, Longfellow, Colorado.
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