Girls’ Night *** (1998, Brenda Blethyn, Julie Walters, Sue Cleaver, Meera Syal, Philip Jackson, George Costigan, Maxine Peake) – Classic Movie Review 7040

Well!, Well!, Well! Director Nick Hurran’s well acted, well written and well directed 1998 British comedy drama Girls’ Night stars Brenda Blethyn and Julie Walters as best friends Dawn and Jackie, also in-laws and factory co-workers, who set off for a dream trip to Las Vegas after Dawn is diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour.

The theme is familiar – a final fling before dying – and rather painful and at heart depressing, but the actors and writer Kay Mellor put a fresh and attractive gloss on it, though the film is naturally predictable and sentimental. It is the ideally cast Blethyn and Walters who make it work, and it is their show almost entirely.

Maxine Peake plays Sharon in her film debut, aged 24. Also in the cast are Sue Cleaver, Meera Syal, Philip Jackson, and George Costigan,

Girls’ Night is directed by Nick Hurran, written by Kay Mellor, runs 102 minutes, is shot in Technicolor and is made by Granada Film Productions and Showtime Entertainment.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7040

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