Girls will be Girls! (Girls' Night (VHS))

Name: TheChocolateLady

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Product:	Girls' Night (VHS)
Date:	18/02/06 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent performances, great script, lots of laughs and tears

Disadvantages: Chick Flick?

It has been some time since I saw this film, so I apologize that I can't remember all the details.

This movie stars Brenda Blethyn ("Pride & Prejudice", "Secrets & Lies") and Julie Walters ("Calendar Girls", "Educating Rita") as two close friends who work together in a factory. The shy Blethyn has one dream - to go to Las Vegas. But her salary doesn't allow this so instead, on Girls' Night, she leaves her abusive husband to play Bingo with the girls from the factory in hopes that one day she'll win the big prize and fulfill her dream. Walters, predictably, plays a bold divorcee who is mostly preoccupied with sex but always seems to have time to get into trouble - either with men or at work or both!

This sounds like a perfect setup for a fun comedy - and it is. Walters' rough, tough style mixed with Blethyn's quiet bumbling is the type of combination that most famous comedy duos are made of. And these two actresses know exactly how to play off of each other. But, unfortunately, I couldn't actually say this is truly a comedy. It could be said that this is more of a "chick flick" since not only does it star two excellent female actors, but it also is a true tear jerker. Yes, one day Blethyn's character does win the Bingo jackpot - but it only happens when she finds out the same day that she has Cancer. Walters' character decides to then make her best friend's wish come true.

I don't want to delve further into the plot and story line than this. You can figure out for yourselves where and when the tears will come. But the laughs - they come throughout the film. I'd say this is neither a drama nor a comedy - rather one of the better bittersweet films I've seen in a very long time.

The other main actor in this film only shows up near the end. Here is an unexpectedly steady performance by Kris Kristofferson playing a cowboy out to show two British women the best parts of Las Vegas (and Walters the best parts of himself as a side bonus). This additional romantic interest brings up a conflict between the two women, adding spice to what could be a dull sad story with a few laughs thrown in for good measure (or a stupidly funny story with a few tears thrown in for effect - your call). It is this conflict that brings this film beyond the usual Hollywood cliche and into the realm of art mirroring reality.

There are no special effects in this film, no fancy costumes, not much in fancy sets (hey, do you need fancy sets when Las Vegas is one of the locations?), no unusual camera angles - in short, what seems a plain and simple film. But when you have a great script with even better actors and excellent direction, who needs all the fancy trimmings? The viewer gets involved with these characters, gets to care what will happen to them, gets surprized by some of their actions, and isn't let down by things getting overly predictable. What else makes this movie special is the way the actors work together so well and with a script that concentrates on relationships and understanding how they work and why they don't. This isn't to say that this is a dark, moody piece of soul-searching cinema. No, its more a drama that allows itself to have fun, while still keeping its underlying plot and message alive - often without words in the script to reveal it all. And when you can express something wordlessly to the audience, you've really proven that not only have you got a good script, but also a director who knows the art of subtlety and a set of actors who can carry all this off without seeming sappy, sentimental, silly or slapstick. This is what makes this film work for me, and is probably one of Director Nick Hurran's greatest achievements. Since I don't recognize any of his other films listed on IMDb, I'm probably right about this.

Bottom line - if you're looking for a film that will make you laugh silly - sorry, this isn't the one you're looking for. If you're looking for pathos and heavy drama - sorry, look elsewhere. But if you want a good combination of both, then take this film out of your video or DVD library - ASAP!

Thanks for reading!

Davida Chazan © February 2006

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Technical Stuff:
Unfortunately, according to IMDb, this film isn't available on DVD or VHS on Amazon.co.uk anymore (you people in Germany, however, are lucky - you can get it on DVD there). Hopefully, it will be re-released soon, and its only available on VHS in the US and Canada. However, you might be able to find it on Ebay - since I think somewhere I noticed its going for £1 there!
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Summary: Two great actresses, one great script and a wonderful story - can't go wrong!