High Hopes **** (1988, Phil Davis, Ruth Sheen, Edna Doré, Heather Tobias, Philip Jackson, Lesley Manville, David Bamber, Jason Watkins) – Classic Movie Review 11,228

Writer-director Mike Leigh’s incisive 1988 satire on life in Eighties Britain, High Hopes, centres on three London comic couples: socialist Shirley (Ruth Sheen) and Cyril (Philip Davis), a bearded despatch rider and his tree-planting lover who wants a baby; a corrupt philandering businessman and his absurd wife, Cyril’s sister Valerie (Heather Tobias); and a pair of appalling opera-loving yuppies.

Leigh’s often-hysterical dialogue is hilariously spoken by the clever cast – especially by Philip Davis, Lesley Manville and David Bamber.

The film’s climax is the disastrously awful celebration for the 70th birthday of Cyril’s working-class mum Mrs Bender (Edna Doré from EastEnders) – the film’s most sympathetic character – in a surprise party staged by Cyril’s sister Valerie.

It is highly ingenious of Leigh to involve us so thoroughly and even sympathetically in the lives of such a terrible crew of people.

It stars Phil Davis, Ruth Sheen, Edna Doré and Heather Tobias. Also in the cast are Philip Jackson, Jason Watkins, Lesley Manville and David Bamber.

Mike Leigh has been nominated for seven Oscars. High Hopes is his second cinema film, 17 years after Bleak Moments.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,228

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