High Hopes is a 1988 British comedy drama film directed by Mike Leigh, focusing on an extended working-class family living in King's Cross, London, and elsewhere.

Despite staying true to Leigh's down-at-the-heel, realist style, the film is ultimately a social comedy concerning culture clashes between different classes and belief systems.

[6] One central event to the film is when Cyril's mother loses her keys, and she then is forced to rely on her wealthy neighbours and her children for assistance, displaying a stark contrast between the lifestyles of the different classes.

[6] In a review for Sight & Sound, critic Gilbert Adair posits that the film's themes are akin to those of the writings of Auberon Waugh, in that both sought to portray the lifestyles of the working classes.

[8] Janet Maslin of The New York Times designated it as a "critic's pick" and commended it for being "enjoyably whimsical without ever losing its cutting edge".