Frothy”, “optimistic”, and “light” are not qualities often associated with the cinema of Mike Leigh. But in taking a step away from class issues, social realism, and injustice Leigh demonstrates a deft hand with what amounts to romantic comedy. Perhaps that should not be very surprising when one considers Leigh’s overarching fixation with decency, a motif that has run through much of his work right up to 2005’s Vera Drake. In Happy-Go-Lucky, Poppy is a popular, single woman with a good job, a balanced, egalitarian character, and an altogether too stable life. There are some periphery crises that remind us that, yes, this is a Mike Leigh film, but nothing that completely halts Poppy’s relentless optimism. Never cloying or sentimental, the film nonetheless is life affirming in its viewpoint, and anchored by Leigh regular Sally Hawkins in a brilliant performance.