Shirley Valentine
Reviews
CinemaSerf
Willy Russell adapted his own play for this tour de force from Pauline Collins as the bored housewife who spends much of her time at home guzzling wine and talking to the wall before her husband (Bernard Hill) comes home from work for his supper at 6pm prompt! When her friend "Jane" (Alison Steadman) wins an holiday on Mykonos for a fortnight, she invites "Shirley" to accompany her. She initially dithers but luckily a visit from her rather selfish daughter "Millandra" (Tracie Bennett) convinces her to head to the sunshine after all. Her pal doesn't even make it off the plane before she pulls, and so "Shirley" is left to her own devices. She quickly finds a replacement for her wall - a rock (not called Hudson) and it begins to look like she has merely substituted a beach for her kitchen at home, especially as the other British tourists who try to adopt her turn out to be twits of the highest order! Then she heads out for a stroll where she happens upon a small seaside bar where she meets the suave, moustachioed "Costas" (Tom Conti) and her adventure really begins. This is a very British film, this, I think. The nature of the humour is sarcastic and downbeat - and it is frequently laugh out loud and usually effective. The observational nature of the dialogue - often quite pithily delivered using her inanimate companions - is also enjoyable (and used effectively too by her lonely husband in his bomb-site of a kitchen). Miss Collins got an Oscar nomination for her performance here, and that was well deserved as I left the cinema wondering just how many real middle-aged people come to their senses in their mid-forties and realise that their lives have been lived vicariously and largely passed them by.
kevin2019
"Shirley Valentine" is a hugely entertaining film populated by richly layered and vividly drawn characters and fortunately it successfully manages to completely depart from its small scale theatrical roots to become a genuine motion picture treat. It essentially covers the same basic themes as "Educating Rita" (1983) and it is just as successful at doing this the second time around. The central characters of Rita and Shirley are also interesting. The former was about to become stymied by the very life the latter is already wearily trudging through on a daily basis, but they are both women trapped by the monotonous circumstances of their mundane lives and they desperately want so much more to live for in a world that is rapidly passing them by. They are eager to explore their potential as people after they have solemnly taken stock of their meagre lives so far and asked themselves the important question: "Am I really doing what I want to?" and the conclusion they both reach is much the same as for the vast majority of us: "No, I am not."
Movie Recommendation
Fright Night Part 21988-04-07After three years of therapy Charley Brewster, now a college student, is convinced that Jerry Dandridge was a serial killer posing as a vampire. But when Regine, a mysterious actress and her entourage move into Peter Vincent's apartment block, the nightmare starts again - and this time it's personal!More...
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant1972-10-05Petra von Kant is a successful fashion designer -- arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary, maid, and co-designer). Enter Karin, a 23-year-old beauty who wants to be a model. Petra falls in love with Karin and invites her to move in.More...
Halftime2022-06-08Global superstar Jennifer Lopez reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight in this intimate documentary.More...
The Chain Reaction1980-09-25Contaminated by a nuclear-plant spill, an Australian worker hides with a woman and tries to warn the public.More...
L'Ampoule2023-10-28There is no descriptionMore...
Like Water for Chocolate1992-04-16Tita is passionately in love with Pedro, but her controlling mother forbids her from marrying him. When Pedro marries her sister, Tita throws herself into her cooking and discovers she can transfer her emotions through the food she prepares, infecting all who eat it with her intense heartbreak.More...
The Shop Around the Corner1940-01-12Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another, without realising that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.More...
Artemis Fowl2020-05-29Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius and descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds. He soon finds himself in an epic battle against a race of powerful underground fairies who may be behind his father's disappearance.More...
The Great Escape1963-07-03The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.More...
Mary and Max2009-04-09A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.More...
Hanna2011-04-07Raised by her father, an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing has been geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.More...
Aftersun2022-10-21Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories fill the gaps between camcorder footages as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the troubled man she didn't.More...
The Post2017-12-22A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Inspired by true events.More...
Jungle Cruise2021-07-28Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his dilapidated boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal – a discovery that will change the future of medicine.More...
San Andreas2015-05-27In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.More...
Dead Poets Society1989-06-02At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.More...
Spider-Man: No Way Home2021-12-15Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.More...
Shutter Island2010-02-14World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.More...
PK2014-12-18A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, the man's innocent questions and childlike curiosity take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting go.More...
Titanic1997-11-18101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.More...
Similar Movies
Indiscreet
1958-07-16Anna Kalman is an accomplished actress who has given up hope of finding the man of her dreams. While talking about this subject with her sister, in walks Philip Adams and she realizes that this is the charming, smart, and handsome man she has been waiting for.Stage Beauty
2004-09-03Humble Maria, who outfits top London theater star Ned Kynaston, takes none of the credit for the male actor's success at playing women. And because this is the 17th century, Maria, like other females, is prohibited from pursuing her dream of acting. But when powerful people support her, King Charles II lifts the ban on female stage performers. And just as Maria aided Ned, she needs his help to learn her new profession.Annie
1999-11-07Things seem pretty bad for a young girl living a "hard-knock life" in an orphanage. Fed up with the dastardly Miss Hannigan, Annie escapes the run-down orphanage determined to find her mom and dad. It's an adventure that takes her from the cold, mean streets of New York to the warm, comforting arms of bighearted billionaire Oliver Warbucks - with plenty of mischief and music in between.Mean Girls
2024-01-10New student Cady Heron is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called ‘The Plastics,’ ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George and her minions Gretchen and Karen. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis and Damian, she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.Lucerna
1960-12-21There is no descriptionEva Has Not Sinned
1965-11-13A pretty and chubby woman, Eva, Fontas ex- wife, is now married to the neighborhood’s tavern owner, Menelaos, who gives her a hard time being unbelievably jealous. His jealousy is sparked off by the large number of admirers his wife has, as well as the malicious Fontas.Billy Liar
1963-08-15A young Englishman dreams of escaping from his working class family and dead-end job as an undertaker's assistant. A number of indiscretions cause him to lie in order to avoid the penalties. His life turns into a mess and he has an opportunity to run away and leave it all behind.California Suite
1978-03-19The misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.The Bait
1964-11-09Α crook turns a cabaret girl into a fine lady to use her as bait for his victims.The Lady and the Tram...
1968-12-30Rena’s father insists on marrying her off to the son of a shipowner. Rena, however, doesn’t even want to hear about it, so she runs away and disguises herself as a boy named Pipis. As such, she meets a poor fisherman, Lefteris, and helps him on his way to Ioannina.Red Dust
1932-10-22Dennis, owner of a rubber plantation in Cochinchina, is involved with Vantine, who left Saigon to evade the police. When his new surveyor arrives along with his refined wife Dennis is quickly infatuated by her.Repunlic
No data for this movieMother and daughter having a conversation about society, women, men, and democracy in ancient Greece. Based on "The Republic" by Plato, this fun twist on the cave allegory demonstrates that women can hold philosophical conversations too. As long as the wine keeps pouring.Total Eclipse
1995-11-03Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.The Stubborn Donkey
2008-11-12When the old fisherman tries to convince his donkey to climb the steep winding road of their Greek island, he finds Mariza to be one suborn ass. But the old man knows that no one can resist Zorba's dance.Šibalství Scapinova
1961-07-05There is no descriptionHow did we end up lik...
1972-01-10A humble clerk gets his lucky break when a compassionate man offers him a well-paying job. Now, his relatives all want a piece of his salary, as his mother-in-law is telling everyone that he is rich. Is there an easy way out of this mess?Stay Cool, Napoleon!
1968-01-01Two friends decide to settle down after a chance encounter with two beautiful sisters. Now, they have to deal, not only with their tyrannical spouses, but also with their intimidating mum, and their relatives. Can they tame the shrews?The Bloke in the Boot...
2024-03-21When a young Northerner kills his driving examiner, he and his best friend embark on a misguided trip to Wales to hide the body. Nothing goes to plan...The Roman Spring of M...
1961-12-28Critics and the public say Karen Stone is too old -- as she approaches 50 -- for her role in a play she is about to take to Broadway. Her businessman husband, 20 years her senior, has been the angel for the play and gives her a way out: They are off to a holiday in Rome for his health. He suffers a fatal heart attack on the plane. Mrs. Stone stays in Rome. She leases a magnificent apartment with a view of the seven hills from the terrace. Then the contessa comes calling to introduce a young man named Paolo to her. The contessa knows many presentable young men and lonely American widows.Four Lions
2010-05-07Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce.