Ladies in Black

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Ladies in Black

PG

2019

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In the summer of 1959, Lisa, a shy schoolgirl, takes a job in Sydney's prestigious department store Goode's. There, her life is changed forever when she meets the ladies in black.

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Critics Consensus

Ladies in Black gleans socially relevant observations from Australian history with entertaining flair, embroidering a tale that touches on immigration and female empowerment with a fashionable pizazz.

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Kristen Lopez

Citizen Dame

It's a film whose cast is utterly sweet and lovely to look at even if the movie feels incredibly thin.

May 29, 2019

Full Review

Richard Kuipers

Variety

"Ladies" is let down by a screenplay lacking the sharp wit and emotional depth to bring its characters and themes fully to life.

Sep 24, 2018

Full Review

Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Ladies in Black isn't really a plot-driven movie, it's more of a mood, it's about inviting you to spend some time in this lovely, quaint world where it's always sunny.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 23, 2018

Full Review

Charlotte Harrison

Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies

Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor and Alison McGirr are the standouts in this gorgeously costumed and life-affirming tale.

Mar 19, 2024

Full Review

Armond White

National Review

Beresford, who directed Driving Miss Daisy, Crimes of the Heart, and Breaker Morant, movies that portrayed eccentrics inhabiting society's borders, neither sentimentalizes these women's struggles nor makes them paragons of identity politics.

May 8, 2020

Full Review

Asia Frey

Lagniappe (Mobile, AL)

Ladies in Black fits the bill, beautifully.

Oct 10, 2019

Full Review

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Dawn W

The storyline takes place in the 50's in Australia. I thought they pulled it off well. The actors performances were great along with the clothing. I loved it and recommend seeing this charming movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/23/19

Full Review

Aileen D

A wonderful movie that takes place in more innocent times in Australia. It’s an excellent cinematic adaptation of the book. It has that New World feeling that life is filled with possibilities; that is, for a refugee like Rudi, who is looking for a beautiful Australian girl to marry, Or for young Lisa, on the cusp of womanhood, etc., etc, When life looks a bit grim, I’ll see this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/25

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Alain E

Starts very strong, but then succumbs quite a bit to sentimentality. Take for example the married guy who is not approaching his wife sexually.( In an interesting side story, she goes to see her doctor because she doesn’t get pregnant. The doctor has to explain that usually sex is necessary to have children! Even in Australia.) So, the guy disappears for a week after they had a successful sexual encounter. When he comes back, puff! all his inhibitions are gone. The best acting is by Julia Ormond and Angourie Rice.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

Full Review

Charlotte W

A gentle movie covering changes in thought over generations, especially regarding women's education. Immigration - showing intelligent, hardworking people with a richness to contribute to society, a "coming of age" ... relationships. It's just so delightful, I watch it over and over. The music, costumes, sets, actors - it's so rich and full of life and leaves one feeling the beauty of that time after the world suffered so badly. Brilliant.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/12/24

Full Review

Greg B

Reasonably well written but some of the actors are poor. The scenes often felt clumsy first shots often looking more like a school play rather than professionally shot.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/05/24

Full Review

Lynn Y

Beautiful. A lovely, unexpected Easter holiday treat. Upbeat and positive, while still being realistic. Hadn't seen Ryan Corr since The Water Diviner!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Julia Ormond

Magda

Rachael Taylor

Fay

Angourie Rice

Lisa

Vincent Perez

Stefan

Ryan Corr

Rudi

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Synopsis

In the summer of 1959, Lisa, a shy schoolgirl, takes a job in Sydney's prestigious department store Goode's. There, her life is changed forever when she meets the ladies in black.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Sue Milliken, Allanah Zitserman
Screenwriter: Bruce Beresford, Sue Milliken
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Vertical Entertainment, Screen Australia
Rating: PG (Some Suggestive Material|Smoking|Mild Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2019
Runtime: 1h 49m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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