Has Mike Leigh gone and made an honest-to-goodness crowd-pleaser? I’m skeptical. Yet that seems to be what Miramax wants us to think, judging by its marketing campaign. So Miramax takes the latest film from Leigh- director of the less-than-cheerful Naked, Life Is Sweet, and Vera Drake- and sells it as a feel-good charmer in the vein of previous Miramax hits like Amelie. Now, I’m sure Happy-Go-Lucky is probably lighter in tone that those aforementioned Leigh films- probably closer in tone to, say, Topsy-Turvy- but I highly doubt it’s the movie the trailer is making it out to be. But then, the Mike Leigh name, Oscar nominations or no, doesn’t carry much box office cachet, and spunky sells better than bleak, so there you go. I’ve still got faith in Leigh, and Berlin reviews were positive, but if I didn’t know the film’s pedigree, this trailer would probably convince me to give the film a pass. As it stands, I’m hoping it’s just a studio hatchet job.
