In 2017, the pop songs of Take That were developed into a jukebox musical which enjoyed a stint on London’s West End and has now been adapted into a film of the same name. Directed by Coky Giedroyc, Greatest Days follows a group of pals that reunite for a trip to see beloved boyband ‘The Boys’ in concert. When superfan Rachel (Aisling Bea) wins tickets through a local radio competition, she reaches out to Heather (Alice Lowe), Claire (Jayde Adams), and Zoe (Amaka Okafor) to relight the fire of their teenage rebellion.
From the opening moments, there’s a strong sense of the feelgood British comedy to the style of the production. It’ll come as no surprise to learn that the writer Tim Firth also penned The Calendar Girls, and this has the same warmth and comforting familiarity. As we find out more about the protagonist, the nostalgic narrative takes us back to the 90s to tell the story of the girls’ shared adventures 25 years earlier. This balance of adolescence and middle-agedness adds depth to the dynamic, providing genuinely heartfelt and melancholic moments that illustrate the complexities of adult friendships. The dramatic highs and lows are accompanied by fun yet pretty unremarkable musical set-pieces with actors portraying the fictional band appearing in various scenarios; the highlight of which is the rendition of their 1995 hit Back for Good in the final act.
In the flashback sequences, the performances of the teenage versions of the main characters feel authentically close-knit. Reminiscent of the likes of television series Derry Girls or 2019’s Our Ladies, the coming-of-age elements work very well, and Lara McDonnell and Jessie Mae Alonzo are particularly great at capturing that innocence and naïveté; the feeling that you’ll be best friends forever with the gang you went to school with. The older cast are less impressive and the acting often feels flat in comparison, but Aisling Bea brings a likeability to the central role and uses her skilled comic timing to good effect.
In a time where the crowd-pleasing British dramedy feels like a thing of the past, Giedroyc’s Greatest Days fills the void nicely. Could it be magic? Probably not quite, but an enjoyable leading turn from Aisling Bea certainly shines.
Cinema Perspective 