She shoulda been a contender!

I think Pauline Collins should have won an Oscar for this performance. She is so totally believable as Shirley, and the first time I saw this film I was 42 with the same life, the same husband and even the same wall. The film hit my soul so deeply that I pulled a "Shirley", and it shook my husband up so badly he put a poster of Greece right next to our bed to remind him that he could wake up alone one day. It is, and always will be my favorite film. I guess that we all wish to be the girl that we used to be.

A rare treat

Easily one of the most beautifully crafted movies I have ever seen.

With a cast headed by Pauline Collins and Tom Conti, it's hard to go wrong, but the screenplay and the production and direction all came up to the same high standard, ensuring a masterpiece, which this is.

Having seen Tom shine in such intense classics as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (with an excellent David Bowie), it was delightful to see him seemlessly adapt to the role of Costas, giving the character a warm and a depth that can only come from an actor of his caliber, however good the screenplay.

Pauline, who had previously been a high profile British TV and stage actress, is similarly flawless in her title role as Shirley, and the intelligent and uplifting ending was a perfect way to end a perfect movie.

It really is as good as you have heard.

Pauline Collins in her acclaimed stage role

SHIRLEY VALENTINE is a gentle charmer of a comedy, based on the acclaimed play by Willy Russell. Pauline Collins (of UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS fame) plays the title character, a role she received much acclaim for on the London and New York stage.

Shirley Valentine is a sparky and charming yet downtrodden woman in suburban London. Her husband thinks she's "gone `round the pipe", her children have left the nest, and she leads a mostly-solitary life talking to her kitchen wall. In the throes of what can only be described as a "no-life mid-life crisis" , Shirley takes off with her best friend (Alison Steadman) for a two-week holiday in Greece. There, she has a fling with a smooth-talking bar owner (Tom Conti) and comes to know the real pleasures that life has to offer. And, more importantly, Shirley Valentine comes to know herself.

Pauline Collins turns in a fabulous performance as Shirley (she was nominated for the 1989 `Best Actress' Oscar but lost to Jessica Tandy in DRIVING MISS DAISY).

Tom Conti bravely plays the thankless role of Costas, with Joanna Lumley, Sylvia Syms and Julia McKenzie all offering top performances in well-written supporting roles. Bernard Hill plays Shirley's husband in a cleverly-nuanced performance. Gillian Kearney is a delight as the younger Shirley during the highschool flashback sequence.

If you loved EDUCATING RITA you'll adore SHIRLEY VALENTINE.