52
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyA delightful, forgivably stagy adaptation of Willy Russell's one-woman play, it delivers a domestic engineer from drudgery and into the arms of an aging Greek stud.
- 70Time OutTime OutBut the virtue of Russell's writing is that, for all the cracks, occasional duff lines, and tendency to simplify and stereotype, few can match his ability to make us laugh, cry and ultimately care.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumA delightful script and an equally delightful performance by Collins.
- 70Washington PostWashington PostAn uncommonly warm, relaxed little movie, the kind they call a "feel-good film," but without a cloying artificially-sweetened aftertaste.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineWhile some may object to the storytelling techniques employed by playwright and screenwriter Willy Russell to depict his title character, others will find themselves enchanted by Shirley Valentine.
- 50Entertainment WeeklyAubry D'ArminioEntertainment WeeklyAubry D'ArminioTalented actors stumbling through clichéd plot twists (Shirley’s nemeses actually envy her), flat one-liners (”Marriage is like the Middle East — there’s no solution”), and pithy self-affirmations (”I’ve fallen in love with the idea of living”) that undermine any genuine feminist sentiments.
- 50Los Angeles TimesSheila BensonLos Angeles TimesSheila BensonBut honestly, Collins' vehicle is a creaky old donkey cart. [30 Aug 1989, p.C1]
- 40EmpireEmpireMiddle-aged scouse housewives and Willy Russell is a bread and butter combination: no frills, a tad repetitive, but plenty of substance nonetheless.
- 30The New York TimesCaryn JamesThe New York TimesCaryn JamesBanality is precisely the problem with Shirley Valentine, the one-woman stage play that has been turned into a misguided, fully cast film.
- 25Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIf there is a shred of plausibility in the film, it comes from Bernard Hill's performance as Shirley Valentine's husband. He isn't a bad bloke, just a tired and indifferent one, and when he follows his wife to Greece at the end of the film there are a few moments so truthful that they show up the artifice of the rest.