Synopsis
A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
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Cast
- Sally HawkinsPoppy Cross
- Eddie MarsanScott
- Alexis ZegermanZoe
- Sylvestra Le TouzelHeather
- Stanley TownsendTramp
- Kate O'FlynnSuzy
- Caroline MartinHelen
- Oliver MaltmanJamie
- Sarah NilesTash
- Samuel RoukinTim
Recommendations
- 91
Entertainment Weekly
The London universe Leigh creates (employing his trademark improv techniques to unite his ensemble, many of whom make their film debuts) isn't so much a reality as a hope, and an invitation to find joy and grace in everyday moments. - 88
Rolling Stone
No list of the year's best performances should be made without her (Sally Hawkins). - 83
The A.V. Club
Typically, Leigh withholds his own judgment as to whether Hawkins is a delight or a terror. But he does create a noticeable tension between the audience's expectations and the way the story plays out. - 80
NPR
So relentlessly upbeat that it won't take long before you're wondering just how the director plans to wipe the smile off her face. - 80
Los Angeles Times
As is always the case with Leigh's protagonists, Poppy does not fit into a schematic log line, she simply is. She exists with an intensity that few other filmmakers' characters can manage because of the singular way Leigh creates his people. - 75
ReelViews
While any or all of the events related during the course of the film might seem to form the backbone of an unendurably boring motion picture, everything comes alive because of Poppy. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
As surprising as it is delicious with an indelible performance by new star Sally Hawkins. - 70
Variety
Mike Leigh's mellowest work yet, and his most purely entertaining.
