That's what girls do. They help each other. (Gregory's Girl (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Gregory's Girl (DVD)
Date:	30/04/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Engaging film

Disadvantages: Nothing special

Gregory's Girl is a wonderfully innocent story, made in 1981, about the love life of the quirky kid in school. Set in a Scottish school, it comprises an essentially simple plot, without bothering with any complicated elements. It remains a simple film, well made and nicely acted.

Gordon John Sinclair plays the geeky Gregory, who falls madly in love with Dorothy, who joins the school football team, resulting in him becoming the goalie as opposed to an outfield player. Everything else takes a back seat as he tries to find a way to win Dorothy's affections.

Dee Hepburn stars as Dorothy, and Clare Grogan as friend Susan, and while none of the acting is particularly special, the film isn't about that. It's about innocence, and providing a believably slow and almost boring way of life, depicting what would actually happen at a school as opposed to a forced sequence of events that leaves viewers wondering why this never happens at their school.

The direction from Bill Forsyth is smooth and effortless, and it seems to quite a natural production. Forsyth was also the writer for Gregory's Girl, and so he has obviously depicted the story he envisaged from day one. The film started off success for Sinclair, in only his second role, and also for Grogan, lead singer of Altered Images at the time of the film. No doubt it helped promote them to become as successful as they did.

Ultimately, there is nothing special about this film, but it is a light-hearted tale of school boy love with a gentle but clever 'twist' in the tale. There is a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure, with Gregory's two best friends searching for some female attention throughout the film, and this provides a nice little sub plot. The DVD I have came free with a national newspaper, and so there is literally just the film on the disc and nothing else. I wouldn't be too fussed about watching any extras anyway, but the DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for around the £2 mark if you're interested.

Summary: A lovely and enjoyable film, but nothing special