GREATEST DAYS
FILM REVIEW
I’d never heard of the stage musical until I saw the trailer for Greatest Days. And, I’ll be honest, the trailer didn’t do much to sell the film or the show to me.
But then the trailer for The Flash looked great, so knowing you can’t put too much stock in that, I thought I’d give it a go anyway.
The film follows Rachel and her friends at two distinct points on their lives.
1990’s Rachel (Lara McDonnell), fantasising about marrying one of the The Boys - her and her friends favourite band - and spending time with her group of close friends (Eliza Dobson, Nandi Sawyers-Hudson, Carragon Guest and Jessie Mae Alonzo) plotting how to attend one of their concerts
And then present day Rachel (Aisling Bea), Out of contact with her friends (now played by Alice Lowe, Amaka Okafor and Jayde Adams), but who, after winning tickets to The Boys reunion concert plans to use the trip to reconnect with their splintered group.
What I think the film does do very well, is the relationships between the the central characters.
In the scenes set in the 90’s it successfully recreates the teenage obsession that these girls would have had over The Boys.
In the scenes set in the present day, the awkwardness of the lapsed friendships trying to reconnect, feel real. The sense of shared trauma palpable.
And these relationships are where the film really thrives. The script is heavy handed at times, the performances a little stagey, and the plot predictable, but none of that really matters, because you believe in these characters.
You believe in their history.
Sure, it might not be subtle, but subtlety was never going to be on the cards with the Take That musical. In the context of the film though, it feels very real. As does its emotional crux.
Another area where the film excels is in its musical numbers. It manages to expertly transition from the reality of the day-to-day of the main story, to the fantasy of the musical numbers and the dance routines.
Where in some musicals this can feel a little clunky, here it feels absolutely natural. Of course there are five dancers hiding in Rachels cupboard. Of course the fountain is going to come to life as the leads dance around in it. It shouldn’t work, but Greatest Days immediately builds up an element of good faith with its audience that allows these moments to exist.
Is this all a bit more positive than you expected? Tell me about it!
Because this review could have so easily been negative. There is a lot to pick at and I can’t imagine much of it would hold up under close scrutiny. The girls dancing on the wing of the plane for one thing. Many of the jokes don’t work for another. And as mentioned it has a tendency for heavy handedness and the clunky dialogue.
Hell, I’m not even particularly a fan of Take That.
But I just find myself not wanting to look at its flaws. It is a film with its heart so firmly in the right place, I just want to accept it for what it is and go along for the ride.
Is Greatest Days a great film? No, it’s not. And am I embarrassed that it made me cry? Obviously, I am.
But it is an incredibly enjoyable, cheesy as hell, romp through Take That’s back catalogue, and is almost guaranteed to make you smile.
And there has to be a place for that, right?