Review of Made in Dagenham (2010) by Eyal D — 02 Oct 2010
Come on, cheer on for the working girls in this amusing paint-by-numbers, true-to-life UK entry to this year's uppity Oscar race. Nigel Cole of SURVIVING GRACE [a wonderful movie] and CALENDAR GIRLS, helms his next inspirational tale with the benefit of Sally Hawkins, the discovery of 2008 [Happy-Go-Lucky, which I did not like] in the lead, as a band of Women machinists [187, to be precise] become determined to strike at a Ford plant in England to oppose inequality in pay.
It really did happen in 1968 and there is archival footage to prove it [at the end] but the film, to be accessible and have international appeal, romanticizes the lives of these women with an almost saccharine reverence.
It's the type of film that goads the audience, gets them going, and has them cheering for the girls. From this perspective, it really works. Hawkins proves she is not just a fleeting star. She's actually even better here than ever before.
But Miranda Richardson, once a leading lady of quality, enjoys herself immensely in a meaty supporting part of an MP who's looking out for her sisters. All in broad strokes, of course.
This review of Made in Dagenham (2010) was written by Eyal D on 02 Oct 2010.
Made in Dagenham has generally received positive reviews.
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