In a staid English seaside town after the Second World War, young Lynda grows up with her widowed father and younger sister. Rebellious Lynda has been swearing constantly from an early age....
See full summary »
Related News
-
Normal People Soundtrack: Complete Details and Playlists For the Show
29 April 2020 | Den of Geek -
Carly Rae Jepsen Returns With Sassy Brush-Off Song ‘Let’s Be Friends’
07 February 2020 | Rolling Stone -
My Top Ten Oscar® Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film includes Darkest Horse: from Slovakia…
10 December 2017 | SydneysBuzz
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Wish You Were Here (1987)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
 |
Trudi Cavanagh | ... | Tap Dancing Lady |
| Emily Lloyd | ... | Lynda | |
|
|
Clare Clifford | ... | Mrs Parfitt |
| Barbara Durkin | ... | Valerie | |
|
|
Geoffrey Hutchings | ... | Hubert |
|
|
Charlotte Barker | ... | Gillian |
| Tom Bell | ... | Eric | |
|
|
Chloe Leland | ... | Margaret |
|
|
Charlotte Ball | ... | Lynda (aged 11) |
|
|
Pat Heywood | ... | Aunt Millie |
|
|
Abigail Leland | ... | Margaret (aged 7) |
| Susan Valentine | ... | Lynda's Mother (as Susan Skipper) | |
|
|
Geoffrey Durham | ... | Harry Figgis |
|
|
Sheila Kelley | ... | Joan Figgis |
|
|
Neville Smith | ... | Cinema Manager |
Learn more
More Like This
Personal Services
(1987)
Comedy
Director:
Terry Jones
Stars:
Julie Walters,
Alec McCowen,
Shirley Stelfox
Rita, Sue and Bob Too
(1987)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Alan Clarke
Stars:
Siobhan Finneran,
Michelle Holmes,
George Costigan
No Reasons
(2016)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
Spencer Hawken
Stars:
Marc Bannerman,
Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar,
Daniel Peacock
The Honeytrap
(2002)
Thriller
Director:
Michael G. Gunther
Stars:
Emily Lloyd,
Valerie Edmond,
Anthony Green
When Saturday Comes
(1996)
Drama
|
Sport
Director:
Maria Giese
Stars:
Sean Bean,
Emily Lloyd,
Pete Postlethwaite
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Kieran Darcy-Smith
Stars:
Joel Edgerton,
Teresa Palmer,
Felicity Price
Cookie
(1989)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Susan Seidelman
Stars:
Peter Falk,
Dianne Wiest,
Emily Lloyd
Hope and Glory
(1987)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
John Boorman
Stars:
Sarah Miles,
David Hayman,
Sebastian Rice-Edwards
High Hopes
(1988)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Mike Leigh
Stars:
Phil Davis,
Ruth Sheen,
Edna Doré
Under the Hula Moon
(1995)
Action
|
Comedy
Director:
Jeff Celentano
Stars:
Stephen Baldwin,
Emily Lloyd,
Chris Penn
Those Glory Glory Days
(TV Movie 1983)
Drama
Director:
Philip Saville
Stars:
Zoë Nathenson,
Sara Sugarman,
Cathy Murphy
Letter to Brezhnev
(1985)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Chris Bernard
Stars:
Peter Firth,
Alfred Molina,
Tracy Marshak-Nash
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (150) »
Storyline
In a staid English seaside town after the Second World War, young Lynda grows up with her widowed father and younger sister. Rebellious Lynda has been swearing constantly from an early age. At sixteen, she becomes more exhibitionist and seeks out sexual encounters challenging the prevailing lower-middle class attitudes to sex. She eventually becomes pregnant by an acquaintance of her father. Written by Will Gilbert
Plot Keywords:
center of attention | woman flashing her leg | insult | loss of mother | verbal abuse |Taglines:
Some people march to the beat of a different drummer. Lynda's got her own brass band.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Did You Know?
Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Jaws: The Revenge/A Man in Love/Summer School/Wish You Were Here (1987) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 July 1987 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Wish You Were Here! See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$43,611, 26 July 1987Gross USA:
$3,283,832Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$3,283,832Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
This film is loosely based on the early life of Cynthia Payne, an infamous British prostitute and madam who has been the subject of other films. It was the debut for British actress Emily Lloyd, who played Linda aka Cynthia Payne. The film follows Linda's sexual awakening with flash backs to her younger childhood.
Linda is an unhappy child whose mother died when she was young and her father, raising her and her sister as a lone parent, struggles to manage her as she reaches adolescence. Her burgeoning sexuality is ill-fitting with the social mores of the seaside community in which she lives. Her sexual curiosity is innocent and defiant. This makes for much hilarity: in one scene she is taken to see a psychiatrist who asks her what rude words she knows in order to assess her sexual precociousness. Linda is well aware of the psychiatrist's intention and leads him a merry dance. In another she shows her legs and some of her underwear to fellow colleagues in a bus station. Yet there are times during her sexual development that are mundane and also sad. It is apparent that what Linda most wants is love and in particular is needy for love from her father, in the absence of her mother, but he never understands her enough to realise this.
The ending of the film, which I won't share in the review, is typical of Linda's character. She strides with pride and passion across a park and golfing course, yet she is young and vulnerable and somewhat foolhardy. The viewer admires her resolve, her fortitude and fears for her future.
The performances of all are superb. Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell deserve special mention. The plot is simple and effective and the characterisations credible. Although it is set in an England that has passed, the themes and meaning remain relevant for today's young women.