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

The original Broadway production of "Shirley Valentine" by Willy Russell opened at the Booth Theater in New York on February 16, 1989, ran for 324 performances and received a nomination for the 1989 Tony Award for Best Play. Pauline Collins won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and recreated her stage role in the movie.

---

Goofs

Some later re-releases of the film on UK DVD contain the "garter belt" dubbing over the "suspender belt" change. This was only meant for the US release.

---

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 Breakfast: Episode dated 16 July 2010 (2010)

---

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

Life

For me, this movie Shirley Valentine is about changes! You CAN all ways make your self better person and develop. There are no age groups, or other obstacles but only ourselves. Like in movie Sostiene Pereira, when Pereira in his late 50 or 60 made tremendous change in his life, shocked by death of a young man. But he only made change when he will stop to live in the past. Also when Shirley meets her high school friend decides that she has to move one. Partners should push each other ahead, so as they are getting better, the relationship will be better. Like Shirley I am only sorry that I don't have copy of a movie. Carpe diem!