Film Review: HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008)

Writer/Director: Mike Leigh
Running Time: 118 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama
UK Release Date: 18^th April 2008

Watched on Sky+ Friday 13^th July 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I always remember a film that I hear the reviewer waxing lyrical about and this is one such film. I have seldom seen a Mike Leigh film that had little (or nothing) to offer and so I thought I’d give it a look even though it’s not the sort of film I would usually opt for. I must admit it did have its good points but ultimately failed to hit the mark (for me at least). I will explain why after this very brief summary.

Poppy is a 30 year old junior school teacher from North London who lives in a flat (apartment) with her flatmate Zoe who is also a teacher. She has a very cheery disposition and is always there with a smile and witty quip for just about every occasion. We see the everyday comings and goings in her life and when her bike is stolen she decides to take driving lessons. The driving instructor, Scott, is the total opposite of Poppy; he takes life very seriously and is very intolerant of those that don’t. As you can imagine this could be a recipe for some interesting chemistry… Unfortunately the film just dips into their interactions and concentrates more on events in Poppy’s life, both at work and play. Everything from bullying in the classroom to flamenco is part of Poppy’s varied existence. Sadly there’s no cliff-hanger I can leave you on… well not one that I can talk about without giving too much away; so I’ll leave it there before the Spoiler Police (North London Division) catch on.

Well made with, as is usual for a Mike Leigh film, the actors taking centre stage and as such it’s a very performance-driven piece. Sally Hawkins did a great job as Poppy, although I didn’t much like her character, I thought she played it well. For me, the star of the show was Eddie Marsan as Scott; a much more complex and interesting character played with great aplomb. The supporting cast; Alexis Zegerman as Zoe, Sylvestra Le Touzel as Heather and Kate O'Flynn as Suzy were all very good.

A film that seemed to be made up of scenes that didn’t really relate to each other particularly well. One minute she’s going trampolineing, the next its flamenco and then there’s a very interesting scene with a tramp, although I did enjoy some of the flamenco scenes too. The only thing that seems to tie her, seemingly chaotic, life together is the driving lessons with Scott; of which we don’t see enough (IMO). Over all, a film that did have its moments but ultimately fell a bit wide of the mark for me.

My Score 6.4/10

IMDb Score: 7.0/10 (based on 21,275 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1045670/

MetaScore: 84/100: (Based on 34 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 93/100 (based on 151 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 65/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 32,911 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1195103-happy_go_lucky/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Poppy: Do penguins emigrate?
Zoe: What - do they move to the Costa del Sol?

[repeated line]
Scott: En-ra-ha!

Poppy: It was in a Cadillac. Miami. Bunny-hopped down the beach. I was a bit pissed. It was hilarious.

Scott: The education system in this country produces left-brain prisoners!

Helen: You want a baby though, don't you Poppy?
Poppy: No thanks, I just had a kebab!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.happygoluckythemovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: SUBMARINE (2010)

Writer/Director: Richard Ayoade
Writer (novel): Joe Dunthorne
Running time: 97 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 18^th March 2011

Watched on DVD Tuesday 5^th June 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I know Richard Ayoade as an actor, primarily for his role in the UK TV series, ‘The IT Crowd’. So it came as a bit of a surprise to me that he had both written (adapted) and directed this film. It had a pretty good reception from the critics and so I thought I’d give it a go. Now, I don’t usually get on well with comedies (I often find them inane and stupid – & not in a funny way) but this one actually worked (for me). Not great guffaws and belly laughs, rolling around on the floor, but a much gentler, more intelligent comedy. But more of that later, here’s a very brief summary first.

Fifteen year-old Oliver Tate lives very much in his own world. One day he decides it was about time he found himself a girlfriend. He focuses his attentions on Jordana Bevan, a bit of a pyromaniac, but then there wasn’t a big pool to choose from. Somehow they hit it off and life is sweet, at least for a while. Of course there’s the whole thing about getting her into bed to get over, but I’ll let you discover just how that occurs (or doesn’t) for yourselves. Oliver’s attentions are now concerned with his parents, Lloyd and Jill Tate. It seems one of the neighbours, a self-styled psychic called Graham Purvis is and old flame of Jill’s. Oliver is afraid he might lure her away from his father and so sets his mind to saving the situation. Meanwhile, Jordana has problems at home with her mother and needs Oliver’s support. Will he do right by her? Well, I guess that would constitute a massive spoiler and the Spoiler Police are being a bit tough round here these days.

Beautifully shot in an almost washed-out style, I really enjoyed the bleakness of some of the scenes. The songs by Alex Turner and original music by Andrew Hewitt fitted in really well and gave the film a bit of an extra dimension. The two young stars; Craig Roberts as Oliver Tate and Yasmin Paige as Jordana Bevan were both excellent. Also worthy of note were; Sally Hawkins as Jill Tate, Noah Taylor as Lloyd Tate and Paddy Considine as Graham Purvis.

The story is narrated by Oliver Tate and consequently the world is skewed to his point of view. It put me in mind in some ways of Juno (2007), with some obvious differences. There were, however, a couple of things that didn’t quite work (for me); I didn’t quite get the whole infidelity thing with Oliver’s mother. Somehow it felt like it was a bit of an afterthought and therefore came over as a tad unconvincing. Over all though, a pretty enjoyable 97 minutes; a nice, gentle, coming-of-age comedy, one I have no problem in deeming… RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.9/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 19,164 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1440292/

MetaScore: 76/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 87/100 (based on 137 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 80/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 18,976 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/submarine-2010/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Oliver Tate: My mother is worried I have mental problems. I found a book about teenage paranoid delusions during a routine search of my parents' bedroom.

Oliver Tate: Jordana and I enjoyed an atavistic, glorious fortnight of lovemakin'; humiliatin' teachers and bullying the weak. I have already turned these moments into the Super-8 footage of memory.

Oliver Tate: We sat down to have what might have been Jordana's mother's last Christmas dinner, which I hope it wasn't because the turkey was a bit dry and the sprouts were soggy and out of focus.

Jordana Bevan: [Upon seeing Oliver's boudoir arrangement] Fuckin' aye! You're a serial killer!

Jill Tate: So. How are things with Jordana?
Oliver Tate: Fine.
Jill Tate: You ever going to let us meet her?
Oliver Tate: I don't think so. Maybe if you get a terminal illness.

Oliver Tate: Ask me how deep the ocean is.
Jordana Bevan: Shut up.
Oliver Tate: Come on, just ask me.
Jordana Bevan: Why?
Oliver Tate: 'Cause I know the answer.
Jordana Bevan: Oh! Do you?
Oliver Tate: Yes, I do.
Jordana Bevan: How deep is the ocean?
Oliver Tate: I'm not gonna say.
Jordana Bevan: I'm brokenhearted.
Oliver Tate: The ocean is six miles deep.
Jordana Bevan: Good.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: MADE IN DAGENHAM (2010)

Director: Nigel Cole
Running time: 109 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Biography/Drama
UK Release date: 1^st October 2010

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 15^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this came out the director came on the radio and complained bitterly that it had been given a 15 certificate. The main reason for this was the amount of swearing used, particularly in the first half of the film. Well, I’m sorry to say Mr Cole, but the BBFC were right, I’m pretty sure 12 year olds swear enough without seeing adults doing it to that extent on the big screen. But enough of my ramblings… more after this very brief summary.

It is 1968 and the Ford motor company have several large manufacturing plants here in the UK. One of the largest is at Dagenham in the South East of England and part of their operation is the women who sew together the seat covers etc. Their job has been downgraded as unskilled and they are paid the minimum Ford can get away with. With the help of their union representative, Albert Passingham, they take a vote and decide to stand up for their rights. A meeting is convened with the management and Rita O’Grady is one of those picked to represent the workers. At the meeting, Rita is unhappy with the way they are treated and tells them that they are going out on strike. It turns out there are bigger issues at stake and this little dispute is soon making national news as the people come to the realisation it’s more about equal pay for women than anything else. I won’t say any more or the Spoiler Police will be checking my union card.

Well made with some nice comic moments, but it’s FAR from the comedy much of the publicity may tell you it is. Decent performances all round, particularly from; Sally Hawkins as Rita O’Grady, Geraldine James as Connie, Bob Hoskins as Albert Passingham, Jaime Winstone as Sandra, Daniel Mays as Eddie O’Grady, Rosamund Pike as Lisa Hopkins and Miranda Richardson as Barbara Castle.

One of the things that put me off seeing this at the cinema was the fact that it was being touted as a comedy. Imagine my surprise when I found it was actually a semi-biographical drama about the struggle for equal pay for women with some comic moments thrown in. A much better proposition in my book and one I pretty much enjoyed. Throw in a few tunes of the day and you’ve got something certainly worth a look. I may be slightly biased because these events occurred during my lifetime, although I was pretty young at the time, but still, it’s a pretty good film and worth a viewing if you get the chance.

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 3,829 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1371155/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Rita O'Grady: All right, um, everybody out!

Rita O'Grady: Look I know you're not mentioning it because you're being polite and everything, but that day when we met in the corridor, well I was really upset, and I never really use that type of language.
Lisa Hopkins: Don't you?
Rita O'Grady: No.
Lisa Hopkins: Well I called Mr Clark a complete cock.

News Reporter 1: What if Mrs. Castle says "no deal"?
News Reporter 2: How will you cope then?
Rita O'Grady: Cope? How will we cope? We're women. Now, don't ask such stupid questions.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/madeindagenham/#/home/
Trailer: