Popular reviews

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  Review by sydney ★★★★ 3

  it's near impossible for me to talk about mike leigh movies, they're all populated with semi-unrealistic irritating weirdos that sneak up and destroy me. almost every one i've watched, i don't realize how much i care about the characters until i start crying over them. i don't know why. maybe someday i'll figure it out. they're just...really good. what else is there? a must watch entry for the female friendship canon.

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  Review by Sally Jane Black 6

  This hit me so soundly in the soul that I find it hard to write about. A portrait of female friendship at its best and worst, this film is just achingly real despite relying on coincidence and some direct dialogue that is startlingly unnatural for Mike Leigh--and therefore, I assume intentional. Maybe that's unfair; the dialogue in question happens during an intimate conversation between two close friends catching up, comparing how they've changed and not, and thus, the directness is forgivable in a way. It's just the sort of conversation that would repel me to overhear in reality because of the underlying emotional content.

  To put it another way, it's both raw and sincere and that sort of slightly delusional…

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  Review by spap1 ★★★★ 7

  Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real. 

  it’s important to reflect on our mistakes every mow and then however, and never to forget about the significance of them, for they hold much power over you and who you truly are. in fact the past is all we have, it is all we will ever have in order to propel ourselves, in order to sell ourselves, and all we have in order to connect to others with. 

  how we attach ourselves to these memories, and the differing ways we do approach them, can make or break our future relationships, it can either allow new flowers to grow and flourish, or it makes them wither and…

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  Review by KYK ★★★★

  found it jarring at first but grew fond of the over-acting in the flashback scenes, especially since the movie is so...slice of life otherwise. that also allowed for bursts of humor — literally, bursted out — that nicely breaks up the fuzz of memory jogging. sweet, but never saccharine. and loved all the Cure stanning.

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  Review by Will Steele ★★★★ 3

  Following the most acclaimed and decorated stint of his career, Mike Leigh made Career Girls: a film as unassuming, uncommercial and earnest as every drama he had made prior to the success of Secrets & Lies. The subsequent project of an auteur responsible for a Best Picture nominee more often than not garners exceptional attention. Not only was the pressure on, but the knives were out and sharper than ever. 
  The relative anonymity of Career Girls may lead you to believe this film flopped for fair reason, yet it’s power remains just as potent as Leigh’s finest character studies. 

  Our leads are estranged, having formerly shared a flat for four formative years at university, and now reunite in their earlier thirties.…

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  Review by 🌻 lindsay 🌻 ★★★★½ 4

  The power of this film lies in the endearing two lead characters - Annie and Hannah - and their relatability.

  I have a friend that I’ve known for 10 years now. We’ve hated and loved each other, we’ve lived together, we’ve shared our worst fears, we’ve shared our insecurities and their causes, we’ve shared what makes us laugh, we’ve shared our guilty pleasures. This kind of bond is one that’s inherently built in with my family just due to the nature of us growing up together and living shared experiences. But when you have this kind of bond with a friend that you chose and chose you back, it’s a really special feeling. To know that you’ll always have this…

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  Review by fran hoepfner ★★★½

  paul rudd "look at us, hey, look at us" clip for 90 min

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  Review by Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 ★★★★★ 4

  "I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here"

  I've seen this one about four times now (see a previous review of one of those occasions here) and each time I love it just that little bit more. As a result this time around I'm rewarding it the full five stars.

  I know it's a tricky film for some, with many critical of the theatrics of Hannah and Anna in the student flashbacks and the almost spooky conveniences that occur during their present day reunion, but it's important to remember that these things are intentional: the young Hannah in particular is someone who has built herself a protective armour from her alcoholic mother and unhappy…

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  Review by Randa ★★★½

  Another slice of life drama/comedy from British director Mike Leigh. The story of two roommates and friends from university reuniting for the first time over a weekend 6 years after graduation.

  The story is told through extensive use of flashbacks and the actors all manage to convey considerable development to their characters, although this is made easier by the extremely quirky behavior of both the main characters during the university flashbacks.
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  Overall a nice story of friendship with very good performances by both leads, filled with emotional highs and lows.

  
  Final Score : 78% 🍎

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  Review by mary ★★★★★

  love it when women are obsessed with the cure in college

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  Review by Laura ★★★½

  arguably the best train scene ending. it’s impossible not to love mike leigh’s characters by the end of his films.

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  Review by Graham ★★★★ 6

  "The car's not very far."
  "Oh, is it on the meter?"
  "No... it's in the car park."

  Mike Leigh in full Leslie Nielsen Naked Gun mode.
  Bonkers!

  The Cure Love Cats kicks in around minute two, and I'm already all-in for another Mike Leigh kamikaze inner-city human nature program. Like Attenborough for the two legged heavily-accented breed, he just gets us. Humans. All of us. Every last one.

  Ooh, The Cure's The Caterpillar has slithered into the background. Flicker flicker flicker flicker here you are... Cater cater cater cater cater Caterpillar Girl. Caterpillar's transform into something else as they get older. A ha... Mint.

  The Walk... it's like taking the fast trail directly back to my mid-teens, complete with gormless…