Shirley Valentine (1989)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Willy Russell (play), Willy Russell (screenplay)

Stars:

Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Julia McKenzie

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pauline Collins	...	Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw
Tom Conti	...	Costas
Julia McKenzie	...	Gillian
Alison Steadman	...	Jane
Joanna Lumley	...	Marjorie Majors
Sylvia Syms	...	Headmistress
Bernard Hill	...	Joe Bradshaw
George Costigan	...	Dougie
Anna Keaveney	...	Jeanette
Tracie Bennett	...	Millandra
Ken Sharrock	...	Sydney
Karen Craig	...	Thelma
Gareth Jefferson	...	Brian
Gillian Kearney	...	Young Shirley Valentine
Catharine Duncan	...	Young Marjorie Majors

Storyline

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 with what she used to be like and feels she's stagnated and in a rut. But when her best friend wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece for two, Shirley begins to see the world, and herself, in a different light.

---

Plot Keywords:

housewife | friendship between women | wedding | photo booth | husband wife relationship | 

---

Taglines:

No one thought she had the courage. The nerve. Or the lingerie.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shirley Valentine - Auf Wiedersehen, mein lieber Mann

Filming Locations:

Littlewoods department store, Oxford Circus, Oxford Street, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$6,353,913 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joanna Lumley's cameo only took a day to film.

---

Goofs

When Shirley is with her son in the squat in Kirby he sees a couple of kids robbing a car. When the car drives away you can see that the kid driving is replaced by an adult stunt driver.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Shirley Valentine: Hiya Wall.
[to the camera]
Shirley Valentine: Well what's wrong with that? There's a woman three doors down talks to her microwave. Talking to a microwave! Wall, what's the world coming to ?

---

Connections

Featured in Movie Connections: Shirley Valentine (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"THE GIRL WHO USED TO BE ME"
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Patti Austin
Arranged by David Paich

User Reviews

Engaging and entertaining from start to finish

I certainly had no trouble relating to Shirley Valentine. In fact, in a lot of this movie, I thought she was talking straight from my head. She sees the humour in all the humdrum b.s. of life, and comes out triumphant. Excellent job by director Lewis Gilbert in adapting one-woman show into a movie that did not feel the least bit claustrophobic. Highly imaginative. I've seen it 3 times now, and will watch again the next time it's on: 10/10.