Gregory's Girl

Excellent stuff from Bill Forsyth. Admittedly, the plot is strangely lop-sided, with the last 15 minutes proving quite detatched from the rest of it, and a perhaps quite unpredictable ending.

But what is great about this film is its depiction of adolescent gangly awkwardness, mostly in the form of John Gordon Sinclair. He and the other characters come across very strongly, partly I am sure due to the almost jaw-droppingly plain and dull backdrop, in the form of Cumbernauld, filmed with great care. This, coupled with the rather odd electric jazz soundtrack, result in a strange sterility of surroundings otherwise only found in the likes of 2001 etc. The beauty of the hills and the sunsets are left to towards the end, which acts as a great contrast.

Certain comparisons might even be drawn with later films like The Rachel Papers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (ie the role of Cameron), although don't expect either of those to prepare you for the dazzling Gregory!

Good to see Clare Grogan pre- pop stardom with Altered Images too...

I've caught this movie a few times playing on Stars in the states, and there is something indescribably charming about it. Maybe I'm biased because I've always loved British movies and television shows, but I found this movie very cute. The story is nothing big and dramatic, just a boy liking a girl and learning a bit about himself and about love in general in the end. The lead character of Gregory is very convincing and very real, you like him but at the same time you can't help wincing a bit at his awkwardness, especially in the scene where he's helping Dorothy out in football by playing goalie. I find this movie very refreshing when compared to teen comedies that are being made nowadays. Gregory's Girl has a realness and innocence to it that is severely lacking in Hollywood now.

And also thanks to whoever posted that the US version had the Scottish accents dubbed. I always noticed there was something "off" about the voices, especially the younger kids and now I see why. I hope someday I can see a copy with the original voices intact.

Back in the eighties when my family first purchased a (Betamax!) video recorder, I watched this all the time. There's just something about the combination of youngster actors who obviously hadn't come from the usual stage schools, the lines from minor characters that you almost miss the first few times (the school reporter - 'I want to interview you and that girl in 4A who had the triplets' - and so many more!) and just the general surrealism (the penguin wandering around the school must surely have influenced the writers of 'Teachers'?) There's a wealth of bizarre characters, both pupils and staff, and for someone who was 13 when it came out, it will never fail to take me back to those awkward teenage crushes and raise a smile. Well, several smiles actually.

Gregory's Girl is written and directed by Bill Forsyth. It stars John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn and Clare Grogan. Music is scored by Colin Tully and cinematography by Michael Coulter.

The perils of school day love get the once over by Forsyth in a film that oozes simplicity of charm and understated warmth. Plot focuses on gawky teenager Gregory (J G Sinclair) who becomes infatuated by the latest addition to the school's football team, Dorothy! (Hepburn). As imbalanced hormones rage and awkwardness takes a hold, Gregory lunges from one sequence to another not getting any help from his equally awkward pals. Everyone, it seems, has their own quirky issues, while Forsyth drops in some delightfully off kilter touches to further emphasise the roller coaster ride of puppy love.

Performances are nailed on perfect. Sinclair proves adroit at physical comedy, his portrayal of shyness and yearning a real treat. Hepburn is deliberately coy as Dorothy, her athleticism to be applauded, and future Altered Images popstrel Grogan leaves a telling mark as the sexy joker in the pack. But it's Allison Forster as Gregory's kid sister Madeline who really is the surprise, precocious and deftly etched into the narrative, it's a key girl role that in young Foster's hands bridges the link between Gregory's emotional chaos and mental happiness.

Irresistible and enchanting movie. 8/10

There is only one thing negative I could say about Gregory's Girl...it makes you sad that the innocence of first love and first dates is gone forever, and also makes me wish my school had been as cool as Gregory's. Excellent performances by all and sundry, no attempts to sacrifice realism for laughs and Clare Grogan at her prettiest. Special mention must be given to the music, wonderfully twee and with a kind of nostalgic delight. Only Bill Forsyth seems able to avoid mawkishness yet still make utterly inoffensive and delectable movies. One of my top ten favourite films and one I never stop enjoying.