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Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I would say there is something magical about this film, but I'd be lying, everything about Girl's Night is magic. The story is sad, heart felt, heart warming, and gritty in a real life way. The combination of Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn is jaw dropping on paper, and they perform outstandingly well together. Kay Mellor in my eyes can do no wrong, and this is another example of her at her best. The mix of the Northern working class environment, and glitz of Las Vegas makes for a great contrast. Even after all these years I can't watch it with a dry eye. Emotionally engaging and moving, this is truly a class act. It's a shame that we don't seem to be getting TV dramas like this anymore.

Though we have seen many such films before, in 'Girl's Night', director Hurran and TV writer Mellor combine several ideas such as financial trouble, sickness, work in a factory, secrets, Las Vegas, marriage, family and of course love and friendship. Though it may seem like too many ideas, it comes together beautifully, resulting in a powerful ending. What makes the film strong is the natural performances by Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn. Walters shows the growth of her character with élan while Blethyn, though her role is a bit clichéd, plays her part with grace. Their friendship looks very real thanks to the great chemistry between these two terrific actresses. I also liked the sudden shift in location from England to Las Vegas and the contrast between the two cities. The introduction of Kristofferson's character comes as a pleasant surprise and the desert scene that follows brings some colour. I also like how comedy was used in a very subtle way. However, next to being predictable, it is a very sentimental film (which isn't hard to figure given the core subject matter) and in parts resembles a disease-of-the-week TV movie. The supporting cast, that includes some popular names, is wasted. What really elevates it is the strong performances of the two leads. All the moments with Blethyn and Walters and the ending when Walters's character comes to a realization are what make 'Girl's Night' worth the watch.

40-year best friends, co-workers and sisters-in-law, make it out of their British working class neighborhood for a fantasy trip to Las Vegas, tempered by the fact that one of them is dying. Director Nick Hurran and writer Kay Mellor combine quite a number of different ingredients here (including illness, men-vs.-women, factory life, family problems, financial windfalls, travelogue and lovestruck cowboys), yet, despite some missteps, the movie is a worthwhile weepy anchored by terrific performances. As the firebrand, ill-tempered man-chaser, Julie Walters tones down her sometimes-brash personality and has several beautifully realized moments; as her "mate", Brenda Blethyn juggles the more standardized clichés of a character with a limited amount of time left (she's brave, she glows, she's suddenly stronger and charts her own course), though Blethyn is very engaging here and works so naturally and easily with Walters that their friendship strikes nary a false chord. Hurran's dreamy framing of this story, with a puzzling introduction, may put some viewers off, but those who stick with it will find a rewarding drama about friendship and love. These themes have been touched on before in films--and true, there isn't much originality or surprises in Mellor's script--yet the bumps in the road here are actually rather endearing, and by the end of "Girls' Night" I was moved by the thoughtfully worked-out transition of the plotting. It's a minor gem. *** from ****

Northern accents and wide-eyed astonishment at Las Vegas aside, you could be forgiven that this was a Hollywood weepie rather than the working-class British drama it pretends to be. Brenda Blethyn's and (particularly) Julie Walters' performances are detailed and superb, but the cloying sentimentality (including some sick-making talk of angels) is heaped on to the extent that the film becomes tedious rather than sympathetic.The first half of Girls' Night is enjoyable for its sheer joie de vivre in the face of serious illness, but after around 45 minutes this is lost in a sea of half-baked ideas, repetitive emotional 'scenes' and irritating semi-fairytale romances which upset the previously realistic atmosphere of the piece.Other than the performances, something of a shapeless disappointment.