70
Mike Leigh's mellowest work yet, and his most purely entertaining.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
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.
70
The movie is not an argument for chaos; it's an argument for making one's way through life with a relaxed will and an open heart.
70
At the very least, the spectacle of Poppy's devotion and desire, not to mention her all-around sunny disposish, left this viewer feeling unaccountably happy--at least for the moment.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
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.
80
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
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.
91
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
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.
83
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.
88
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
No list of the year's best performances should be made without her (Sally Hawkins).
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Ray Bennett
As surprising as it is delicious with an indelible performance by new star Sally Hawkins.