A shop assistant, her cook husband, and their twin daughters go about their lives in a working-class London suburb.A shop assistant, her cook husband, and their twin daughters go about their lives in a working-class London suburb.A shop assistant, her cook husband, and their twin daughters go about their lives in a working-class London suburb.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 3 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDavid Thewlis was disappointed at being given such a small role, so Mike Leigh promised him that the next time he considered Thewlis for a role in a film, "he'd be given a fair slice of the pie." Thewlis would be cast as the lead in Leigh's next film Naked (1993), and win an award for his performance.
- Goofs(at around 1h 17 min) When Wendy is laying in bed, the alarm clock to her right is clearly not ticking as the second hand is not moving.
- Quotes
[Natalie and Nicola ponder having children]
Natalie: Well, I wouldn't fancy bringing one up on me own.
Nicola: It's better to be on your own than be with a bastard.
Natalie: Well, presumably you wouldn't *choose* a bastard in the first place if you had any sense!
Nicola: All men are bastards!
Natalie: *What*?
Nicola: They're all potential rapists!
Natalie: That's a bit sweeping!
Nicola: All men have got the ability to rape.
Natalie: Well they don't all do it, do they!
Nicola: But they've got the ability; they've got the desire.
Natalie: That's paranoid rubbish!
Nicola: What d'you know about paranoia?
Natalie: Well, not half as much as you do, I'll give you that.
- SoundtracksHappy Holidays
By Rachel Portman and Julian Wastall
The parents are amicable beings: the mother Wendy a chirpy, motherly character (very well-acted), the father incredibly laid-back, yet hard-working at a job he hates. Their two daughters are like chalk and cheese: Natalie, a plumber, is quiet and practical (I thought she was a boy at first: hers is a curiously unsexed character) while Nicola is a complete mess.
The ugliness of true life is shown beside its mundane beauty. The shocking scenes of Nicola's self-torture (she is a secret bulimic) are juxtaposed with scenes of the mother dusting, and the ordinary cheerfulness of the rest of the family. A bizarre family friend, Aubrey, and his dream of running his own restaurant provide a subplot of sorts, but the domestic drama is far more interesting.
Horricks gives a startling good performance as the disturbed Nicola: she drips with self-loathing, but inspires pity. The most poignant scene is one in which her boyfriend, no Einstein himself, becomes fed up with her intense sexual demands, and asks her to prove her intelligence by having a real conversation with him. Nicola, whom we know is intelligent, cannot bring herself to do this: she is compelled to always show herself in the worst light. She can only mutter 'I AM intelligent' in a voice of despair. The boyfriend departs, leaving her in a state of even more intense self-hatred and depression. It is hard-hitting scenes like this one which stick in the memory.
The mother, Wendy, who appears a scatterbrain at first, emerges as a dignified, wise and compassionate woman, as she responds in a touching scene to her troubled daughter Nicola.
It's such a plain-looking film, yet it is striking because of the intensity of its characters, and the honesty of director Mike Leigh's observations. Although life is hard for the family, it is also sweet. That, I think, is Leigh's message.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Livet leker!
- Filming locations
- 7 Wolsey Road, Enfield, London, England, UK(The family's house)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,516,414
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $12,856
- Oct 27, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $1,516,414
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1