MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 480 this week

Shirley Valentine (1989)

 -  Comedy | Drama | Romance  -  30 August 1989 (USA)
7.0
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.0/10 from 3,779 users  
Reviews: 39 user | 15 critic

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:

Writers:

(play), (screenplay)
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 3627 titles created 4 weeks ago
 
a list of 183 titles created 19 Jan 2011
 
a list of 618 titles created 25 Apr 2011
 
a list of 250 titles created 15 Dec 2010
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Shirley Valentine (1989)

Shirley Valentine (1989) on IMDb 7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Shirley Valentine.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Hugh Grant, James Fleet, Simon Callow
Sliding Doors (1998)
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A London woman's love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train. We see it both ways, in parallel.

Director: Peter Howitt
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Director: Rob Reiner
Stars: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is in an accident.

Director: James L. Brooks
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Muriel finds life in Porpoise Spit, Australia dull and spends her days alone in her room listening to Abba music and dreaming of her wedding day. Slight problem, Muriel has never had a date... See full summary »

Director: P.J. Hogan
Stars: Sophie Lee, Toni Collette, Bill Hunter
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner.

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter
The Graduate (1967)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner and then finds himself falling in love with her daughter, Elaine.

Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A recently-widowed man's son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

Director: Nora Ephron
Stars: Tom Hanks, Ross Malinger, Rita Wilson
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Barbara Hershey, Michael Caine, Mia Farrow
Annie Hall (1977)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.2/10 X  

Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
About a Boy (2002)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Based on Nick Hornby's best-selling novel, About A Boy is the story of a cynical, immature young man who is taught how to act like a grown-up by a little boy

Directors: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Stars: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Sharon Small
Love Actually (2003)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Director: Richard Curtis
Stars: Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Costas
...
Gillian
...
Jane
...
Marjorie Majors
...
Headmistress
...
Joe Bradshaw
...
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
Edit

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. Written by Kathy Li

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

30 August 1989 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Shirley Valentine - Auf Wiedersehen, mein lieber Mann  »

Box Office

Gross:

$6,353,913 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pauline Collins originated the role of Shirley Valentine in the original London production of the play. See more »

Goofs

In the US version of the film, when Gillian encounters Shirley choosing underwear for her holiday the phrase "garter belt" is dubbed over the words "suspender belt". See more »

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 ?
See more »

Connections

References Star Wars (1977) See more »

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
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

A thoughtful comment on a fabulous film
1 December 2004 | by (Surrey, England) – See all my reviews

This is a sweet yet hilariously funny film about a housewife from the north of England, who takes a trip to Greece and finds that there is more to life than the kitchen sink.

It's one of those films that should be seen by anyone that has at any point felt that there's something missing in their life or that they've had missed opportunities as you will have great empathy with the main character Shirley. Having said that, it's generally just a great film. Not only does it do a very good job at putting one in Shirley's shoes but it's also a great social comment about an average English persons life.

Having said all this, it's one of the funniest films I have ever seen. The humor is ever present throughout the film yet never takes away from the seriousness of Shirley's situation. I found I was smiling to myself all the way through. I particularly liked the way that it pokes fun at the common Englisman's appreciation of foreign hospitality.

Each character brings great life to the film particularly Pauline Collins and Tom Conti. Pauline's regular off-the-cuff comments add character to the film while Tom's smarmy approach entwined with his overall role in the story (without wanting to spoil it) make for an excellent watch.

Great appearances by Julia McKenzie, Alison Steadman and Joanna Lumley add great depth to Pauline's character whilst adding great comedy and life to the film.

Shirley Valentine is a gem of a film and a must see. The style is certainly not "Hollywood" and it appeals to the same tastes as other English greats such as -The Full Monty-.

I give it a strong 10 out of 10.


22 of 26 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
open letter to Paramount stevenvh
Costas' 'Make *beep* with you' speech heathertron
British Readers.......What did Shirley really say? dextermovies
May 1, 2007 on DVD infinata
Shop named after the film. samwbellis
what is shirley valentine REALLY about? red-03
Discuss Shirley Valentine (1989) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?