''Girls' Night'' is a 1998 British
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by
Nick Hurran
Nick Hurran (born 1959) is a British film and television director. His 1998 film ''Girls' Night'' was entered into the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.
Hurran is married to a television producer, Michele Buck, with whom he has two child ...
. Loosely based upon the real experiences of writer
Kay Mellor
The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own ...
, the film stars
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a ...
and
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations.
Blethyn ...
as two sisters-in-law and best friends, one dying of cancer, who fulfil a lifelong dream of going to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, after an unexpected jackpot win on the
bingo
Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers
** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland
** Bi ...
.
Premiered to a mixed response by critics at the 1998
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
, who noted it a "rather formulaic tearjerker
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
two powerhouse Brit actresses", Hurran won a Silver Spire at the
San Francisco International Film Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...
and received a
Golden Bear
The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.
History
The winn ...
nomination at the
48th Berlin International Film Festival
The 48th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 February 1998. The festival opened with the Irish film ''The Boxer'' by Jim Sheridan. Francis Ford Coppola's '' The Rainmaker'' was selected as the closing night film. Th ...
for his work.
Plot
Set in working class, northern England, Jackie Simpson and Dawn Wilkinson have been life-long best friends and in-laws, as Dawn is married to Jackie's brother. The two women work together side-by-side in a factory, and have a girls' night every Friday.
One Friday night, in the bingo hall while Jackie is fooling around with the manager Paul, Dawn wins the Bingo jackpot, 100,000 pounds. As they always split their winnings, Jackie is due to get 50,000, so she happily cleans out her things, leaving her husband a note with the keys, saying he can keep it. Jackie surprises her lover with her belongings, hoping to stay awhile.
The next day, clashing with the boss, Jackie gets sacked. Shortly after, Dawn collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Undergoing a barrage of tests, they discover she has cancer again (she'd had breast cancer years ago). He tells her they want to immediately put her on a course of radiation therapy. When her husband Steve picks her up, she says nothing, but arriving home, seeing her teenagers roughhousing, she inexplicably starts crying.
That Friday, the sisters-in-law go to the bingo party to collect the check. When asked what she'll do with the money, Jackie quips in the idea of a trip to Las Vegas. Her husband Dave brings her a document officially getting her off the mortgage. She finds out then that Dawn had been in hospital.
On Monday, Dawn is off the line at work and given a simpler task usually given to newbies, a more isolating job. Steve gives Jackie only 35,000 instead of the 50 Dawn had promised her. Dawn's second session of radio makes her vomit, and lose a bit of hair. She announces she's going to pack it in at work.
Jackie and Paul break it off when she discovers he's not been exclusive. He's frustrated that she had essentially moved in a month ago, which he hadn't wanted. Steve come across Jackie as she's wheeling away with her suitcases, looking for help with Dawn. Her hair is sparse and she looks terrible, but she refuses to admit to what's going on. Jackie marches down ti the hospital, insisting she speak with her doctor. She discovers that Dawn is now refusing more treatment, as it's not reducing her brain tumor.
Jackie pops by Dawn's, whisking her away to an adventure in Las Vegas. In her first few minutes at the slot machines, Dawn hits the jackpot. Not prepared for such a big payout, Cody loans her his cowboy hat. She calls Steve that night to tell him they are having a blast in Las Vegas. Cody invites them to spend a day exploring Nevada on horseback. Beforehand, Dawn wins again at the roulette table, and after they split the $500+ Jackie chastises her for giving up.
Trail riding with Cody by his Nevada ranch, afterwards Jackie is dropped off at the hotel, and Dawn stays out for a bit as Jackie is hopeful she has a fling. She doesn't and decides she wants to end their trip.
Back at home, Jackie nurses Dawn, apologizes to Dave. She gives a eulogy at the funeral. At the wake in her home, the family finds gifts for them under the bed. Her message to Jackie from the grave is Cody's cowboy hat, so she returns to him in Nevada.
Cast
*
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a ...
— Jackie Simpson
*
Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations.
Blethyn ...
— Dawn Wilkinson
*
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...
— Cody
*
Philip Jackson — Dave Simpson
*
George Costigan
George J. Costigan (born 8 August 1947) is an English actor who is best known for portraying Bob in the 1987 film ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and for roles in TV series such as '' Happy Valley'' and '' So Haunt Me''.
Early life
Born in Portsmouth ...
— Steve Wilkinson
*
Anthony Lewis
Anthony Lewis (March 27, 1927 – March 25, 2013) was an American public intellectual and journalist. He was twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and was a columnist for ''The New York Times''. He is credited with creating the field of legal jour ...
— Mathew Wilkinson
*
Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in the BBC One sitcom ''dinnerladies'' (1998–2000), Veronica Ball in the hit Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' (2004–2007), Marth ...
— Sharon
*
James Gaddas
James Gaddas (born 17 June 1960) is an English actor best known for his roles in ''Coronation Street'', '' Bad Girls'', ''Doctors'', ''Emmerdale'' and ''Hollyoaks''.
Career
Gaddas played Eddie Ainsworth in the tenth episode of the seventh serie ...
— Paul
*
Judith Barker
Judith Barker (born 22 June 1943) is an English actress, best known for her role in '' Coronation Street'' as the upwardly mobile homewrecker Janet Reid, which she played between 1969 and 1977. She has been married to Kenneth Alan Taylor since ...
— Helen
*
Sue Cleaver
Susan Owen ( Cleaver; born 2 September 1963) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', which she has played since 2000.
Early and personal life
Cleaver was ...
— Rita
*
Meera Syal
Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is a English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, ...
— Carmen
*
Sophie Stanton
Sophie Stanton (born 1971 in London, England) is an English actress, director and playwright. She is best known for her role as DCI Jill Marsden in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in which she has appeared on and off since 2001.
Career
Eas ...
— Jane
*
Fine Time Fontayne
Ian Crossley (born 1951), better known by the stage name Fine Time Fontayne, is an English actor and stage director.
Early life
Fontayne was born in Wombwell, West Riding of Yorkshire (now South Yorkshire) into a mining family. In the 1960s, he ...
— Ken
*
Brent Huff
Brent Huff (born March 11, 1961) is an American actor, writer and film director. Huff is best known for his recurring role of Smitty in the hit ABC show, The Rookie. He has also had recurring roles in Shameless, Pensacola: Wings of Gold and Black ...
— Bobby Joe
*
Nigel Whitmey
Nigel Whitmey (born 23 February 1963) is a British-Canadian actor who has appeared in TV series and films. He is also the husband of the actress Abigail Thaw, whom he met while training at RADA.
Early life
Whitmey was born in Peace River, Alb ...
— Tyrone
*
Kathryn Hunt
Kathryn Hunt is a British actress best known for her roles as Angela Harris in ''Coronation Street'' and Val Lorrimer in Series 1–2 of ''Fat Friends''. She also appeared in '' Waterloo Road'' and ''The Royal''.
Kathryn also starred in the B ...
— nurse
Reception
The film grossed £0.7 million ($1.2 million) in the United Kingdom and $1.5 million worldwide.
[
]
References
External links
*
{{Nick Hurran
1998 films
British comedy-drama films
1998 comedy-drama films
Films directed by Nick Hurran
Films scored by Edward Shearmur
Films shot in Greater Manchester
1990s female buddy films
British female buddy films
1990s English-language films
1990s British films