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| United International Pictures (UIP) | Release Date: August 30, 1989 |
Starring:
Alison Steadman, Anna Keaveney, Bernard Hill, George Costigan, Joanna Lumley, Julia McKenzie, Pauline Collins, Sylvia Syms, Tom Conti, Tracie Bennett
Summary:
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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]
Talented actors stumbling through clichéd plot twists (Shirley’s nemeses actually envy her), flat one-liners (”Marriage is like the Middle East — there’s no solution”), and pithy self-affirmations (”I’ve fallen in love with the idea of living”) that undermine any genuine feminist sentiments.
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But honestly, Collins' vehicle is a creaky old donkey cart. [30 Aug 1989, p.C1]
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.
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Mar 31, 2020
I absolutely love this film. Its a story of a middle aged woman stuck in a rut. It could relate to any age though, and the mundaness of life.
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Nov 24, 2021
This is a comedy drama film with some amusing moments but its also quite clearly a film that has aged. I suppose its a nice form of nostalgia, in a way. Its an easy watch and its even somewhat thoughtful. This is a good film.
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