National Society of Film Critics

[cam]

Oh, c'mon, cam. I'm nothing if not a total sweetheart.

Yes. And the moon is made of green cheese.

[barrybrooks8]

Gotta go with Junebug if comparing it with Happy-Go-Lucky.

[flipp525]

I am interested that some of the hard hearts on this board have melted over this film( you all know who I mean), and that alone makes me ALMOST interested in seeing Happy-Go-Lucky.

Oh, c'mon, cam. I'm nothing if not a total sweetheart.

[Big Magilla]

I am amazed that Sally Hawkins has done so well here. I have NOT seen the movie, but reviews that I have read make me believe that here is a totally Pollyanna character, and they reminded me of the love around "Junebug".
I am interested that some of the hard hearts on this board have melted over this film( you all know who I mean), and that alone makes me ALMOST interested in seeing Happy-Go-Lucky.
Cannot believe she bested Streep or Hathaway.

Not Pollyanna at all, more like a skinny Georgy Girl who dresses like a rag doll.

It's a better film than the insufferable Junebug, but I suppose that isn't saying much.

This has not been a great year for lead actresses. There have been some good performances, certainly, but nothing really great IMO unless you consider Kate Winslet lead in The Reader, which leaves the race wide open. While Hawkins should certainly be one of the many considered, that she is dominating the awards thus far is a bit of a puzzlement.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1231115048

[Eric]

I'm one of the hard-hearts, and I liked Happy-Go-Lucky a lot, but that's in part because I think it's pretty blunt about the consequences/costs of optimism.

[cam]

I am amazed that Sally Hawkins has done so well here. I have NOT seen the movie, but reviews that I have read make me believe that here is a totally Pollyanna character, and they reminded me of the love around "Junebug".
I am interested that some of the hard hearts on this board have melted over this film( you all know who I mean), and that alone makes me ALMOST interested in seeing Happy-Go-Lucky.
Cannot believe she bested Streep or Hathaway.

[Mike Kelly]

Edited original post to include runners-up and vote distribution.

[Uri]

Thank goodness they passed on Penelope Cruz with Hanna Schygulla.

Indeed.

And Happy 1000'th post too.

[Precious Doll]

Thank goodness they passed on Penelope Cruz with Hanna Schygulla.

[Uri]

(This might be the place to chime in and say that I wasn't totally blown away by Waltz With Bashir. Certainly it deserves an animated feature spot alongside WALL-E, and there's some powerful and beautifully animated sequences...but especially in the film's last act, I started to feel like the visual beauty of the animation wasn't the most appropriate way to tell this story. It seems to me that it's guilty of over-aestheticizing an event that might have been better depicted in simpler, more raw terms -- which the film finally does in its last images, too late. Definitely an interesting work, though.)

Bravo. Couldn't agree with you more.

It's nice to be able to finely comment on one of these critics awards, since most of them went to movies I actually saw (apart from milk). And since I'm very optimistic about Milk and Penn, I'm rather thrilled with these choices. I loved Happy-Go-Lucky, so I'm glad it got recognized – for Leigh's relaxed, generous direction and especially for his actors, and in this case, a lot should be credited to him too, I guess. (And Magilla, I also find Poppy to be a wounded soul, but one who consciously made a choice about the way she dealt with it. This is what it's all about).

And Schygulla was mesmerizing. At one point her character is described as the saddest person in a room, which was such a heartbreaking moment since there was indeed so much truth in it. It's an extremely quietly sad and deeply humane performance, in which Schygulla manages to create a particular, private person while at the same time suggests, partly because of the way her character is presented and partly for all the accumulated cinematic and historic baggage her face evokes, a much broader social and political statement.

And in these days, when there's not much for me to be patriotic about, this best picture award, though not justified, is at least given to a respectable representative of my country, so I'll take it.

[The Original BJ]

I mostly agree with OscarGuy's take on Happy-Go-Lucky. I think Poppy is a great character, and Sally Hawkins is a total joy, but it's a great character who hasn't quite found a great story yet. The whole film to me is amiable and pleasant enough but just kind of sits there. It's definitely one I want to see again (most Leigh films improve on a second viewing for me), but am quite frankly a little surprised this minor trifle has become such a critical darling.

Still, Hawkins is wonderful, and I honestly don't understand how one could find that character annoying -- I totally would want to have a friend like her.

Also, it's really nice to see Hawkins and Marsan in roles so completely different than the ones they played in Vera Drake, in which they were both very effective as well.

[OscarGuy]

For me, Mike Leigh's top was Secrets & Lies a film to this day I still adore for its realism.

For me, Happy-Go-Lucky just didn't go anywhere. When the film ended, I was left going "uh...that's it? where was it going?" I wanted more of the characters and to see what happened. Perhaps it's too "of the moment" for me to truly adore, but it speaks highly of Mike Leigh's ability to create interesting characters that, despite being utterly unbelievable, they are grounded enough in reality so as to be interesting and entertaining. I understand both characters and the dichotomy between the characters is fascinating, but I just don't think there's enough in the film to go anywhere.

However, while I do like both, I think Marsan is too clearly acting like an out of control lunatic. Yes, he's more refined than Jim Carrey could be, but he's probably the most out there of the characters in the film. He makes Poppy look downright sane, which seems to be his purpose, but it's still a little outlandish, which might be right up the Academy's alley.

[Big Magilla]

I have to wonder if Hawkins' garish wardrobe and constant rib-poking jokes aren't symptons of deep-seeded mental problems as well.

I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, Big Magilla. I think your description above is too facile a reading of Hawkins' character. It's so easy to write off that kind of devil-may-care, wacky behavior as indicative of some sort of mental imbalance. The film's point in offering those extreme ways of living was that a person could either sink into the malaise of life's making (Marsan) or make a commitment to happiness as a sort of life goal (Hawkins). If other people viewed her as crazy nutjob, it simply highlighted for Poppy another person she could potentially win over with her positive attitude. And, if not, there was always the process of doing so to look forward to. Honestly, this movie refreshed me in so many ways. I simply loved it.

And I agree with Okri that Hawkins would be a totally deserving winner.

I'm glad you're refreshed.

I got all that. I've been fortunate to know lots of women with Poppy's joy of life, some of whom have had to learn the hard way you can't fix all the Scotts of this world but bless 'em, they keep trying. I just think the character here was too broadly drawn for most of the film, though she did sneak up me and win me over by film's end.

I really don't care who wins this year's Oscar for best actress. Hawkins might be a breath of fresh air. Marsan will have to settle for a nomination if he's lucky. There's no way anyone but Heath Ledger is going to win supporting actor.

[Sabin]

Hawkins and Marsan would be totally deserving winners. I'm thrilled to see Eddie Marsan winning something.

[flipp525]

I have to wonder if Hawkins' garish wardrobe and constant rib-poking jokes aren't symptons of deep-seeded mental problems as well.

I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, Big Magilla. I think your description above is too facile a reading of Hawkins' character. It's so easy to write off that kind of devil-may-care, wacky behavior as indicative of some sort of mental imbalance. The film's point in offering those extreme ways of living was that a person could either sink into the malaise of life's making (Marsan) or make a commitment to happiness as a sort of life goal (Hawkins). If other people viewed her as crazy nutjob, it simply highlighted for Poppy another person she could potentially win over with her positive attitude. And, if not, there was always the process of doing so to look forward to. Honestly, this movie refreshed me in so many ways. I simply loved it.

And I agree with Okri that Hawkins would be a totally deserving winner.



Edited By flipp525 on 1231044266