X
  • 1989
  • R
  • Paramount Pictures
  • 1 h 48 m
  • 1989
  • R
  • Paramount Pictures
  • 1 h 48 m

Summary Shirley's a middle-aged Liverpool housewife, who finds herself talking to the wall while she prepares her husband's chip'n'egg, wondering what happened to her life. She compares scenes in her current life with what she used to be like and feels she's stagnated and in a rut. But when her best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to G...

  • 1989
  • R
  • Paramount Pictures
  • 1 h 48 m
  • 1989
  • R
  • Paramount Pictures
  • 1 h 48 m

Shirley Valentine

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 15 Critic Reviews
52
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Shirley's a middle-aged Liverpool housewife, who finds herself talking to the wall while she prepares her husband's chip'n'egg, wondering what happened to her life. She compares scenes in her current life with what she used to be like and feels she's stagnated and in a rut. But when her best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to G...

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 15 Critic Reviews
52
47% Positive
7 Reviews
40% Mixed
6 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 15 Critic Reviews
52
47% Positive
7 Reviews
40% Mixed
6 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Ultimately an easy film to like. As portrayed by Pauline Collins, reprising the role she originated on stage, the title character is imbued with such slyness and spirit that we're able to forgive the idiosyncracies, the glibness and event he staleness of this feminist manifesto. That Collins never strains from the film's weight is one of the acting triumphs of the year. [18 Sept 1989, p.80c]
FULL REVIEW
75
The movie has its own sweet charm, a charm as winning as Shirley herself. [15 Sept 1989, p.G5]
FULL REVIEW
70
A delightful script and an equally delightful performance by Collins.
By Jonathan Rosenbaum FULL REVIEW
60
While some may object to the storytelling techniques employed by playwright and screenwriter Willy Russell to depict his title character, others will find themselves enchanted by Shirley Valentine.
FULL REVIEW
50
Shirley Valentine only intermittently captures the wistfulness and tough-minded humor Collins is so good at dispensing. The rest of the time, it's far from bracing. [22 Sept 1989, p.31]
By Jay Carr FULL REVIEW
40
Middle-aged scouse housewives and Willy Russell is a bread and butter combination: no frills, a tad repetitive, but plenty of substance nonetheless.
FULL REVIEW
25
If there is a shred of plausibility in the film, it comes from Bernard Hill's performance as Shirley Valentine's husband. He isn't a bad bloke, just a tired and indifferent one, and when he follows his wife to Greece at the end of the film there are a few moments so truthful that they show up the artifice of the rest.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
60% Positive
3 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
60% Positive
3 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Paramount Pictures
Release Date Aug 30, 1989
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline No one thought she had the courage. The nerve. Or the lingerie.
View All Details

Awards

Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations

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