Women Talking Dirty (1999) – movie review

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Movie Review by EDF

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Gina McKee, Kenneth Cranham, James Nesbitt, James Purefoy

Director: Coky Giedroyc

On first impressions, the title WOMEN TALKING DIRTY is a bit misleading. What at first might appear to be a SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPES type of movie is actually a comic tale about two women and they’re respective complicated relationships that they find themselves in. Believe it or not, this is one of the better British movies to come out this year.

This touching story about two women, the feisty Cora (Helena Bonham Carter) and the shy Ellen (Gina McKee) met up by chance in a pub while they were drowning their sorrows and contemplating the state of their relationships. Cora is expecting her first child with Claude (Julien Lambroschini) who just ups and goes back to France, leaving Cora to fend for herself. With no one else to turn to, she contacts Ellen who helps Cora during the delivery of her first child.

Ellen also has problems of her own; she is married to Daniel (James Purefoy), a compulsive gambler who has no qualms about going out searching for affairs while leaving Ellen all alone by herself. To get over their problems, Cora and Ellen develop a strong bond and take on whatever life has to throw at them – lovers, divorce, children, debts and too much vodka.

Set in Edinburgh, the two leads at first seem to be an unlikely pairing but surprising you start to believe that they are friends. This is in part due to the script keeping its feet on the ground and keeping events believable. The editing also moves the movie at such a pace that you find yourself getting totally involved with the movie. With Edinburgh as the setting of the movie, the scenery in and around the city is breathtaking.

If you are after a movie that tells a story well, then this is for you. If you’re after guns and explosions, then join the queue forming to your left.

5 out of 6 stars