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Shirley Valentine

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Shirley Valentine

R

Released Aug 30, 1989

1h 48m

Romance

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Feeling trapped in a world of domesticity, Shirley (Pauline Collins), a housewife from Liverpool, England, needs a change in her life before she has another conversation with the walls. When her friend Jane (Alison Steadman) invites her on a trip to a Greek island, Shirley jumps at the chance. Upon landing, Jane ditches Shirley for a fling, which means Shirley is left to her own devices. Shirley wanders the island, meets a taverna owner (Tom Conti) and begins to find the joy in life again.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

There were moments during the movie when I cringed at the manipulative dialogue as the heroine recited warmed-over philosophy and inane one-liners when she should have been allowed to speak for herself.

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Rated: 2/4

Aug 30, 1989

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Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

Its upbeat charm still comes mainly from Shirley herself — played with warmth and sparkiness by Pauline Collins — but other actors also contribute, most notably Tom Conti as a Greek charmer.

Mar 13, 2023

Full Review

Olly Richards

Sunday Times (UK)

A timeless comic performance, every line underplayed and the fourth wall broken for knowing glances to camera.

Sep 19, 2022

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Loses its ingenuity and intimidation. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 29, 2022

Full Review

Danny Brogan

Common Sense Media

Classic British comedy challenges gender stereotypes; sex.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 24, 2020

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Glafira Regina O

In general, it is a very good, light comedy film about a woman in a mid-life crisis, who is not happy with her life - her husband perceives her as a housewife, and her grown children - as a nanny. Therefore, one day Shirley packs her things and secretly flies to Greece for a short vacation - and meets a handsome Greek there. By the end of the film, he turns out to be nothing more than a fraud, pretending to be a loving husband in front of female tourists, and Shirley still stays at the hotel - already as a waitress who abandoned her past life in Britain. The only negative of the film is the open ending. In the end, a man does come to see Shirley, but we are not shown anything about what they talked about, nor how the meeting ended. My rating: 8/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

Gnr E

I loved it. Comedy drama movies always exciting

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/22/24

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Munkhchimeg T

Liked the point. Makes me think abour who is in charge for your happiness

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/22/24

Full Review

isla s

This is a comedy drama film with some amusing moments but its also quite clearly a film that has aged. I suppose its a nice form of nostalgia, in a way. Its an easy watch and its even somewhat thoughtful. This is a good film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Lovely movie, with a lot of humor, but serious and with a good message ast the same time. Cute, sweet movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

steve d

I don't know if it was better suited for the stage but I found everything overdone.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Lewis Gilbert

Director

Pauline Collins

Shirley Valentine

Tom Conti

Costas Caldes

Alison Steadman

Jane

Julia McKenzie

Gillian

Joanna Lumley

Marjorie Majors

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Synopsis

Feeling trapped in a world of domesticity, Shirley (Pauline Collins), a housewife from Liverpool, England, needs a change in her life before she has another conversation with the walls. When her friend Jane (Alison Steadman) invites her on a trip to a Greek island, Shirley jumps at the chance. Upon landing, Jane ditches Shirley for a fling, which means Shirley is left to her own devices. Shirley wanders the island, meets a taverna owner (Tom Conti) and begins to find the joy in life again.

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Producer: Lewis Gilbert
Screenwriter: Willy Russell, Willy Russell
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.7M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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