
Shirley's a middle-aged Liverpool housewife,who finds herself talking to the wall while she prepares her husband's chip'n'egg, wondering what happened to her life. She compares scenes in her current life to how she used to be, and feels stagnated and in a rut. But when she best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece for two, Shirley begins to see the world, and herself, in a better light.... (Full plot summary below)
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Shirley's a middle-aged Liverpool housewife,who finds herself talking to the wall while she prepares her husband's chip'n'egg, wondering what happened to her life. She compares scenes in her current life to how she used to be, and feels stagnated and in a rut. But when she best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece for two, Shirley begins to see the world, and herself, in a better light.
Leave your thoughts about Shirley Valentine.
| Washington PostRita KempleyA delightful, forgivably stagy adaptation of Willy Russell's one-woman play, it delivers a domestic engineer from drudgery and into the arms of an aging Greek stud. |
| NewsweekMichael ReeseThey trusted their property and, while it may not win them awards for special effects, or a cult following, their trust has paid off in a comedy of cozy appeal. |
| Miami HeraldChristine Arnold DolenBut the virtue of Russell's writing is that, for all the cracks, occasional duff lines, and tendency to simplify and stereotype, few can match his ability to make us laugh, cry and ultimately care. |
| Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumA delightful script and an equally delightful performance by Collins. |
| Washington PostJoe BrownAn uncommonly warm, relaxed little movie, the kind they call a "feel-good film," but without a cloying artificially-sweetened aftertaste. |
| Filmcritic.comDon Willmottthink of Shirley Valentine as "Educating Rita under the Tuscan Sun." |
| Los Angeles TimesSheila BensonMiddle-aged scouse housewives and Willy Russell is a bread and butter combination: no frills, a tad repetitive, but plenty of substance nonetheless. |
| Entertainment WeeklyAubry D'ArminioTalented actors stumbling through clichéd plot twists (Shirley’s nemeses actually envy her), flat one-liners (”Marriage is like the Middle East — there’s no solution”), and pithy self-affirmations (”I’ve fallen in love with the idea of living”) that undermine any genuine feminist sentiments. |
| The Monitor (McAllen, TX)Brooke CorsoYou don't have to be her age to appreciate her attitude, humor and candor. |
| The New York TimesCaryn JamesBanality is precisely the problem with Shirley Valentine, the one-woman stage play that has been turned into a misguided, fully cast film. |