Search - Wish You Were Here on DVD

A Breath of Fresh Air

snalen | UK | 01/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is about Lynda, a rather delinquent teenage girl growing up after the the Second World War in a bleak and dismal English seaside town. She spends most of the film getting sacked from one job after another and losing her innocence with considerable thoroughness and determination. Working briefly for the local bus company, she eagerly loses her virginity to a rather clumsy young bus conductor who is not slow afterwards to take his custom elsewhere. Somewhat heartbroken, she tries to cheer herself up by throwing herself at Eric, a much older man who has been making advances, with predictably sad results... Leland has written and realized a masterly script that is sometimes extremely funny and sometimes desperately sad, shifting between these two with enormous sureness of touch. The best thing about it by miles is Emily Lloyd's performance as Lynda, feisty, immensely funny, sometimes appallingly foolish, sometimes downright obnoxious but somehow always completely adorable, which is nothing short of astonishing in its charm and total believability. Perhaps you agree with me that the coming of age movie can sometimes be a pretty tedious genre where one suspects too many writers turn memories of their not very interesting adolescences into not very interesting stories. If so you might be put off seeing this which would be a terrible shame as this utterly fresh and delightful movie is a glorious exception."

"Up yer bum!"

D. Hartley | Seattle, WA USA | 04/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Film buffs should rejoice that this outstanding little British gem has finally seen the light of day on DVD. David Leland's 1987 comedy-drama about a headstrong 16-year-old girl's "coming of age" in post WW 2 England only played the arthouses upon on its initial run, so remains largely unknown to U.S. audiences. This movie recalls "golden age" British sex comedies like "Georgy Girl", "The Knack", "The Family Way" and "Alfie". Vivacious teenager Emily Lloyd makes an astounding, Oscar-worthy debut as pretty but potty-mouthed "Linda", whose hormone-fueled manic behavior (...) are causing her somewhat reserved widower father and younger sister to walk around in a perpetual state of public embarrassment. With a taut script and precise performances, the film breezes along on a deft roller coaster of deep belly-laugh hilarity and genuine, bittersweet emotion. Excellent support from the entire cast, especially from the great Thom Bell, who finds a sympathetic humanity in a somewhat vile character that a lesser actor could not likely pull off. The real tragedy here is that Emily Lloyd, who displayed such amazing potential in this debut, never really "broke big", appearing in only a few unremarkable projects and then basically dropping off the radar to join that sad "whatever happened to..." file. The DVD transfer is excellent, no extras to speak of, but this wonderful film speaks for itself!"

Defiant coming-of-age flick for girls

Elena Sinclair | So Cal, USA | 07/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film lends courage to girls who sometimes make bad choices. What's wonderful about the ending is that Emily Lloyd's character is still thumbing her nose at the repressed community around her. There's a certain triumph when she declares "yes it's mine, ALL mine" about her newborn baby. Instead of choosing to feel ashamed for having a child out of wedlock, she makes the absolute best of the situation. I highly recommend this film to anyone who has a soft spot in their heart for non-conformity."

Heartbreaking Warnings About The Truth of A Troubled Girl

M. R. Estante | North America | 04/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Emily Lloyd won international acclaim for her role in this 1987 British film. A motherless teenager raised by a conservative and distant father embarks on an empty search for love in a sleepy coastal English town. A rebel without a cause, defiant, and mouthy, underneath it all is a girl so emotionally deprived and seeking nourishment in all the wrong places. An out-of-wedlock pregnancy solidifies her social pariah status in the community. Based on the British madam Cynthia Payne (the English version of Heidi Fleiss), this outstanding performance is a warning of how fast and deep a spiral reckless teenage girls can go to when they don't feel loved."