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Happy-Go-Lucky

(2008, Rated R, Comedy, Starring Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 15.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Thoughtful comedy's charm outweighs mild iffiness.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 15 and Up

The good stuff

  • 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 out for

  • 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:

    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:

    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:

    Tesso Oil.
  • Drinking, drugs, & 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.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Happy-Go-Lucky

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.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • 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?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

    Terrible

    Hate It...

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Utah
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0

    Happy go Lucky makes you feel happy go lucky

    Happy Go Lucky was the best british movie of 2008 and Sally Hawkins was a delight as poppy a free-spirited teacher. go out and rent it.

  3. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 1.0

    Waste of time

    I'm sorry, but *to me* this movie was very boring.. I kept wondering when I was going to see a plot forming. Basically it just shows how an airhead who has not yet grown up at 30 lives her life which is sometimes responsible (as a teacher) and sometimes not (getting drunk with the girls, sex on first date). Then she gets involved with a psycho driving instructor and has to deal with his aggressive antics. If I were to sum it up, it is about an ditzy young woman who refuses to grow up and always wears "rose colored" glasses.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Oregon
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 3.0

    Just calm yourselves down

    Yes, it's sweet and yes, it's likeable, but by no means is it a masterpiece. I will freely admit that Sally Hawkins is wonderful in the film, but that's pretty much the extent of the film's quality. The plot: well, there really isn't one. There's a happy person who teaches, she takes driving lessons from ssome whacko who secretly likes her, and falls in love with a social worker. Being a comitted fan of British humor, I expected a bust-a-gut comedy, but that's not really what it was. It was funny, just not that fuunny. And honestly, people need to stop posting five-star reviews. Just ffor the record, I was the biggest fan of the film in the group that I watched it with, they found it dreadful and slow. So, if you want to just kind of wind down, "Happy-Go-Lucky" is a fine choice, and aside from a little drinking and an f-word or to it's not very inaproppriate.

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