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The gentle comedy film "Shirley Valentine" is the story of an underappreciated housewife played by Pauline Collins. Shirley and her husband, Joe, live alone (the children have grown and moved away) in a pleasant home. Shirley's main companion is the kitchen wall--and she manages to have many a one-sided conversation with the wall while she cooks the meals and dreams of a holiday in Greece. Shirley's unhappiness and loneliness goes completely unnoticed by Joe. His main concern is the evening meal. Then Shirley's accidental meeting with an old schoolmate, Marjorie Majors (Joanna Lumley) confirms Shirley's sense of lost identity, and a fight with Joe sends Shirley spiralling off to Greece with feminist chum, Jane (Alison Steadman).
Shirley falls in love with Greece, but more importantly, she falls in love with herself. Along the way, she meets Costas (Tom Conti) a wily Greek restauranteur whose charming ways guarantee a holiday fling. I especially loved the characters of Dougie and Jeanette--the tedious, self-righteous married couple who try to save Shirley from herself. The characters may be 'types' but they are all well-done and highly believable.
The film is based on a play, and I think this shows in many of the scenes. Also, there were a few places on my video where a word uttered was dubbed for the American audience. If you enjoyed the film "Entertaining Rita," you will no doubt enjoy this film too. It's an upbeat, enjoyable escape with a group of likeable, entertaining characters. There is a feminist message, but it's not overwhelming--displacedhuman.
Like Sending a Hallmark Card...
You might embrace the message of "Shirley Valentine" the way I did - as a clue to all men. Not as a threat, but merely a window into the very human need to remain vital. Shirley knows she's middle-aged, frumpy, regarded as a piece of furniture by her husband and grown children. But she also knows there's still life in her heart, a need to blend with other life outside her dreary existence. She knows she need not fade away just because her husband is oblivious to her status as a live human being, with needs, desires, opinions, and sense of humor. She acts on her survival instinct, which is to fulfill a dream of visiting Greece. And a visit is what it started out to be! But while there, with opportunity for her brain and her spirit to renew and revitalize, she makes decisions along the way that lead to a satisfying ending. Going to Greece is not the solution for all of us, but the taking-charge-of-your-own-destiny idea is. This movie should be required watching for all women, and men! It's a message to each other, as well as to ourselves - like sending a Hallmark card that expresses that which we might find difficult to express - that says "Hey, let's all remember that we are human beings, with a right to live a full and vibrant life." Shirley Valentine is a "feel-good" movie. Like "The Doctor" and "Saving Private Ryan", Shirley Valentine should have it's place on every shelf, part of your video-multivitamin store.
here's to my best friend - shirley valentine
I've lost count of how many times I've seen "Shirley Valentine", but I love it more with each viewing. It lifts my spirit, makes me laugh and motivates me to never give up. When I auditioned for a play several years ago I did some dialogue from SV ("...that was the sweetest kiss...") and I got the part! For me it was an added bonus to this wonderfully sweet and brilliant film about life and love. Pauline Collins is the best!
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