Career Girls

Mike Leigh is one of my favourite contemporary filmmakers. After two masterpieces: the underrated "Naked" (1993) and the internationally acclaimed "Secrets & Lies" (1996), he made this brilliant "little" film about two former flat mates, Annie (Lynda Steadman), extremely self-conscious, and Hannah (the always magnificent Katrin Cartlidge), wildly outspoken, who reunite for a weekend 6 years after their college graduation. They remember and discuss all the good and bad times they spent together, while trying to figure out their own current lives. In just 87 minutes, Leigh creates one of the most compelling, realistic and moving portrayals of a real long-term friendship and all its ins-and-outs. With a soundtrack composed of hits by The Cure and an amazing cast (not just the fantastic leading actresses shine: Mark Benton as the pathetic Ricky Burton and a pre-Gollum Andy Serkis in a hilarious cameo also stand out), "Career Girls" flows like an afternoon spent with a loved one we haven't seen for a long time. Forget "Beaches" and other cheesy tearjerkers: alongside Rob Reiner's classic "Stand by Me" (1986), "Career Girls" is one of the most beautiful friendship films you'll ever see. 10/10.

source: Career Girls

Apart from being the only famous person I've ever seen in Kebab Delite in Wood Green, Mike Leigh is probably the most consistently brilliant film director of the modern era. "Career Girls" has attracted less critical praise than some of his other films, possibly because audiences found the way the characters accidentally ran across each other a bit contrived. Well, forget all that. The strength of this extraordinarily moving film is that, though the characters are deliberately slightly exaggerated, they are essentially incredibly true to life, in a way that Hollywood couldn't even begin to understand. Having been at college myself during (roughly) the period shown in the film I can testify that it is packed with eerily accurate details (e.g. wearing swimming goggles when cooking, Robert de Niro poster on wall etc.). A high-ranker in a canon composed more or less entirely of classics.

two old friends meet up and reminisce about their student years living above a chinese take away, whilst coincidence plays fast and loose with the trip. kaitlin is a complete star (as usual) playing hannah with fantastic gusto.

I was touched by the humanity of SECRETS AND LIES, by its simplicity. It is one of the most insightful movies I've ever seen. I find CAREER GIRLS a useless exercise on filmmaking. The characters are so unnatural and forced. The continous twist of fate are just unreal and senseless. Horrible.

Yes, this film has been panned by many, but in my view Mike Leigh was near top form again with this absorbing and moving film. The late, great Katrin Cartlidge puts in an excellent performance. Dreadfully sorry to learn that such a talented young stage and screen actress has died. Lynda Steadman is also superb. The film is partly in flashback to college days in the 1980s and partly set in the "present" of the 1990s. I see the exaggerated twitching and accents of the characters in the 1980s scenes as part of the flashback genre. Perhaps I went to University with exceptionally twitchy people, or perhaps the memory pitches college-days memories at 30 frames-per-second, but my own "flashbacks" to such times feel a bit like that. I thought it was intriguing cinematography, but the majority seems to be against me. Where the film does grate a little is in the coincidences that lead them to run in to their past several times. Two of the coincidences are necessary for the plot and interest. One seems like "a coincidence too many" and it goes nowhere - maybe there was an intended plot thread that got dropped - well the coincidence should also have been dropped in that case. It's a short film and it held our attention from start to finish. Not Mike Leigh's very best film, but well worth seeing.

For one of Britain's most acclaimed film-makers, you'd think Mike Leigh had been directing movies for most of his life. However, while many of today's young movie-makers are thrown into the deep end with huge projects, Leigh honed his craft with a much cheaper alternative. He mastered the one-off play with Nuts in May and Abigail's Party, attracting a cult following, while the TV movie, Meantime, turned Gary Oldman and Tim Roth into two of the hottest British actors of their generation. By 1988, Leigh had written and directed one movie, Bleak Moments (1971), 19 plays and 11 TV films before returning to the big screen. High Hopes marked the beginning of Leigh's most successful vocation and was followed a few years later by Life is Sweet. In 1993, Leigh delivered arguably his greatest film to date. Naked was a bleak, funny tale of Johnny (David Thewlis), an intelligent Mancunian drifter who travels to London and pours vitriol onto everyone he meets. Bursting with witty dialogue, it proved to be one of the most controversial and stunning films of the Nineties which turned Thewlis into one of the most sought after actors on earth. Mike followed it up with the critical smash Secrets and Lies (1995) and the critically mauled Career Girls (1997). This was torn apart by some critics - most notably Tony Parsons on the defunct BBC2 strand Late Review - who were annoyed by the OTT character traits of its stars. Nevertheless, even a bad Leigh movie is worth a look, and this has the added bonus of starring Katrin Cartlidge from Naked. It centres on two successful professional women who recall the youthful insecurities of their student days and how they gradually blossomed into self-assured professionals. If you can get past the constant twitching of its main stars during the first few minutes, then this is a highly absorbing drama with a likeable cast. The Mockney accent of Katrin makes her highly irritating while the overweight student, Richard Burton, tries to outdo both girls in the twitching department. Despite the character 'traits', Lynda Steadman, Mark Benton, Kate Byers and Andy Serkis are all fine while the ending is suitably bleak. Not classic Leigh, but still worth a look.

This is one of Mike Leigh's more easy-going efforts, overall, a bit mannered, sort of an urban picaresque, "Naked"-lite if you will. When I saw it on initial release, I liked it fine, but thought it would be memorable mainly for particular bits--the very funny scene with the obnoxious yuppie flat owner, the very powerful scenes with Mark Benton as Ricky--rather than for any coherence. I saw it again this week and it is sticking in my mind with more impact than before; to me it now resonates as a meditation on the need to get on with one's life, and the costs (in friendship, soulfulness, caring) of doing so, and the tragedy of those who just can't make the jump. Not one of Leigh's greatest films, but like everything he's made, well worth the time.

Throughly enjoyed this movie. Katrin Cartlidge and Linda Steadman are wonderful. The person who played Ricky, Mark Benton, gave a very powerful performance. Thoroughly recommended for people who like gritty human drama. Only downside was the unbelievable co-incidences of bumping into people from their past all in one day in London. It is a mighty big city.

The combination of Alison Steadman and the stunningly talented Katrin Cartlidge make for a very quirky but really down-to-earth film. Although it was slated heavily for being OTT i think the characters are so true to life. We all must've known certain folk back in the early 80s who were of a similar character to those portrayed here. Katrin Cartlidges' death is a HUGE loss. She was one of the most talented and beautiful actresses who fitted in so well when directed by Mike Leigh. If you fond of films containing humorous British nostalgia and are fed up with the false, glitzy, Hollywood -influenced exterior that seems to be the winning trade mark these days, then this is the sort of film for you. Let's see more films about REAL life, warts and all, (like this one) for a change!