Mike Leigh's follow-up to his Oscar nominated "Secrets and Lies" is a sweet little character study about two female friends. What's great about the film is that it doesn't try to be more than it is. Leigh uses only one device, the flashback, to brings us the story of the characters.

The film revolves around Hannah (Katryn Cartlidge) and Annie (Lynda Steadman) two 30-something women who haven't seen each other in six years. While Annie is kind of quiet and a bit unsure of herself, Hannah is more verbal and gruff. At first we don't like her. But Leigh weaves the modern reunion of the friends with flashbacks of the two as "flatmates" in the mid-80's. This is how we really get to know the women. We get to see who they were and where they came from juxtaposed against who they are and how they live now. It's a phenomenal insight into the characters. Of course, we really grow to like them.

What is great about the device of flip-flopping around in time is that we see these two women in two different stages of their lives. Annie grows from a shy, rather distraught teen with a horrible case of dermatitis that keeps her head hung low into a woman capable and able to deal with life and a career. She may not be glamourous or extremely successful, but she is nice and likable. We feel she is just growing into her own. Meanwhile, we see a dramatic change in Hannah. She grows from a grating, obnoxious extrovert, with a lot of hurt buried not to deep, into a urbanite struggling to get by in the corporate arena. It's actually as if we are seeing four different women here. What's amusing is that we almost can't stand the 80's girls even though we know we were just like them at that time, at that age. We see ourselves in them in both time periods. It makes us see how far we have come and it makes us glad about where we are now. The world may not be any better off, but we are.

A subplot of the film has the girls running into three men, two of whom are acquaintances from the past. By doing this, we are able to see something different about the girls from what transpires with men in their lives. The first man is Andy Serkins, a condo owner who is trying to sell his place. Hannah is in the market and Annie goes along for the ride. Serkins comes across as a hedonistic boob and it makes it clear to us why these girls are still single. It also allows us to see what bonds them. Next we meet Adrian (Joe Tucker), a real estate agent. Through flashbacks we see how he has affected the friendship of the girls. Through him, we understand how the men in the past, like Serkins in the present, have also offered nothing to the females. We see another example of why they are still single and why they have bonded. Finally, there is Ricky (Mark Benton). He is here to show us what could have become of the women. He is the path not taken.

If there is anything wrong with "Career Girls," it's that it's too short. At around only 90 minutes, we just don't get to spend enough time with two truly fun and interesting women that we've come to like.

Note:

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who starred in "Secrets and Lies," wrote some of the score music here.

Emily Bronte and the music of The Cure play a part in the plot.

One assumes that Leigh made this film in his usual way. He starts with the actors and an idea of the characters. Then he works with them on endless improvisations until a story and dialogue evolves. He then writes a solid script which he shoots.

(Review written in 1997)

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