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
Tom Conti	...	Costas
Julia McKenzie	...	Gillian
Alison Steadman	...	Jane
Joanna Lumley	...	Marjorie
Sylvia Syms	...	Headmistress
Bernard Hill	...	Joe
George Costigan	...	Dougie
Anna Keaveney	...	Jeanette
Tracie Bennett	...	Millandra
Ken Sharrock	...	Sydney
Karen Craig	...	Thelma
Gareth Jefferson	...	Brian
Gillian Kearney	...	Young Shirley
Catharine Duncan	...	Young Marjorie

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.

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Plot Keywords:

greece | vacation | housewife | extramarital affair | holiday romance | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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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 USA:

$6,353,913

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

Features Pauline Collins's only Oscar nominated performance.

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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".

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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 ?

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Alternate Versions

In the theatrical release version, when she is talking about her husbands views on sex she says "But it doesn't go as well as the Ford Cortina", however in the version that was premiered on the BBC this line was dubbed to "but it doesn't go as well as the Ford Escort". Presumably this had something to do with product placement in that at the time the film was shown the Ford Escort was still being made whereas the Cortina ceased production in about 1983.

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Connections

Referenced in Sky World News: Episode dated 28 February 2018 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Rock from 9 Jive Till 5
Written Tim Broughton and Eddie Jones

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!