Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) scene at Helen’s house

Sally Hawkins as Pauline “Poppy” Cross in a scene from the 2008 Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky.
Sitting around in the evening at her sister’s house in Southend-on-Sea with her flatmate Zoe and two younger sisters, Helen Lightfoot and Suzy, and brother-in-law Jamie Lightfoot.
In the U.S. rated R for language.
Filmed summer 2007 at Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK.
The dialogue in the film was developed during six months of preparation and rehearsal involving improvisation by the actors (“No, you never see anything written down.” - Sally Hawkins).
Sally Hawkins won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) for this performance, and the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Poppy: Sally Hawkins
Suzy: Kate O’Flynn
Zoe: Alexis Zegerman
Helen: Caroline Martin
Jamie: Oliver Maltman
A film by Mike Leigh
Cinematography/Camera Operator - Dick Pope BSC
Produced by Simon Channing Williams (1945-2009)
Written & Directed by Mike Leigh
“With her sharp features, toothy smile, and bright eyes, [Sally] Hawkins has the creature cuteness of a Disney chipmunk. Her character is naturally friendly, pleased to make eye contact with strangers, an empathetic fount of jokey banter and playful innuendo. (Typically dressed in Fauvist floral prints, clashing textured tights, and high-heeled cowgirl boots, Poppy is also fun to watch...” - J. Hoberman, the Village VOICE (OCTOBER 8, 2008)
‘With vivid characterizations from the entire ensemble cast derived from [Mike] Leigh’s trademark lengthy rehearsal process, pic feels as though it could have profitably spun in many different directions. Flavorsome scenes with sisters Suzy (Kate O’Flynn) and Helen (Caroline Martin) and brother-in-law Jamie (Oliver Maltman) suggest more going on beneath the surface. Indeed, several catalogs list the running time at 158 minutes, indicating scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. ...Thin, fine-boned [Sally] Hawkins, so good in small parts in Leigh’s “Vera Drake” and “All or Nothing,” manages to make what initially appears to be a scatty, irritating character ultimately endearing. Dark-haired and hazel-eyed, she sparks visual memories of Katrin Cartlidge, a favorite Leigh ensemble member who died in 2002.’ - Alissa Simon, VARIETY (FEBRUARY 12, 2008)