Shirley Valentine (B or 3/4 stars)
'Shirley Valentine' (directed by Lewis Gilbert, & adapted from a hugely popular British stage play) is about a 42 yr. old Liverpool matron who decides it's time to leave her humdrum life & do what she wants. Trapped in her boring housewife existence, Shirley (Pauline Collins, who also starred in the play) wonders when it was that she lost her youthful, hopeful self. Lonely & isolated, she talks to the walls in her kitchen (and us, the audience). There is absolutely zero support from her possessive husband (Bernard Hill) - who demands steak when "egg'n'chips" shows up on his dinner plate. And she's also chastised by her loveably snooty neighbor (Julia McKenzie) & her self-absorbed daughter.
However, just when she thought she'd never be happy again, her divorced friend, Jane (Alison Steadman), wins an all-expenses-paid 2-week vacation to Greece in a magazine contest & asks Shirley to join her! After MUCH soul-searching, Shirley gets the nerve, leaves her husband behind, & heads off to the warm, sunny, gorgeous Grecian isles. Although she has an unexpected romantic rendezvous with a Greek tavern owner (the always amiable Tom Conti), the real surprise of the vacation is her journey to self-renewal.
Though it fizzles out a bit for me near the end, I enjoyed 'Shirley Valentine' quite a bit. There are pleasant quirks abounding in the script. The comedy is light ... extremely light. The drama is more like light melodrama. I enjoyed Pauline Collins greatly; her own quirks keep you watching. I like how she reveals her innermost thoughts (saucy or poignant) to us; looking in the camera, as if she were looking out from the stage. Shirley was, at one time, an against-the-establishment rebel; telling off people in the street, etc. But she lost her edge, fell into a rut & allowed her insensitive husband & daughter to walk all over her. Heck, she even looked/acted 15 yrs. older than she was. So I really liked seeing her ultimate arc: of being true to yourself, & not allowing others to dictate your life. She even looked like she shed those 15 yrs. once she reached Greece.
All that said, I get the feeling that the transition from popular stage play into the cinematic medium plays more awkwardly than hoped. Some scenes are a little odd; the tone, cadence. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy or insignificant, but I gather that 1980s British audiences ate that type of dialogue up -- admittedly, some of Shirley's rants are priceless. And I also questioned some of the character's motivations throughout. Just when you thought you got a handle on someone, they'd do or say something completely out of left field. Howwwever, as mentioned, there are real delights in this film. There's an original song titled, 'The Girl That Used To Be Me'. And I liked - more than not - Shirley's journey back to her old self.
However, just when she thought she'd never be happy again, her divorced friend, Jane (Alison Steadman), wins an all-expenses-paid 2-week vacation to Greece in a magazine contest & asks Shirley to join her! After MUCH soul-searching, Shirley gets the nerve, leaves her husband behind, & heads off to the warm, sunny, gorgeous Grecian isles. Although she has an unexpected romantic rendezvous with a Greek tavern owner (the always amiable Tom Conti), the real surprise of the vacation is her journey to self-renewal.
Though it fizzles out a bit for me near the end, I enjoyed 'Shirley Valentine' quite a bit. There are pleasant quirks abounding in the script. The comedy is light ... extremely light. The drama is more like light melodrama. I enjoyed Pauline Collins greatly; her own quirks keep you watching. I like how she reveals her innermost thoughts (saucy or poignant) to us; looking in the camera, as if she were looking out from the stage. Shirley was, at one time, an against-the-establishment rebel; telling off people in the street, etc. But she lost her edge, fell into a rut & allowed her insensitive husband & daughter to walk all over her. Heck, she even looked/acted 15 yrs. older than she was. So I really liked seeing her ultimate arc: of being true to yourself, & not allowing others to dictate your life. She even looked like she shed those 15 yrs. once she reached Greece.
All that said, I get the feeling that the transition from popular stage play into the cinematic medium plays more awkwardly than hoped. Some scenes are a little odd; the tone, cadence. Some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy or insignificant, but I gather that 1980s British audiences ate that type of dialogue up -- admittedly, some of Shirley's rants are priceless. And I also questioned some of the character's motivations throughout. Just when you thought you got a handle on someone, they'd do or say something completely out of left field. Howwwever, as mentioned, there are real delights in this film. There's an original song titled, 'The Girl That Used To Be Me'. And I liked - more than not - Shirley's journey back to her old self.