This is one of the funniest and most warm-hearted films ever! John Gordon Sinclair and Dee Hepburn were absolutely wonderful in this story of teenage love and the sudden twists & turns that occur when you think you've met THE ONE, but then someone else...
77 Reviews
Unpretentious and universal
paul2001sw-130 May 2009
Watching 'Gregory's Girl' for the first time in over two decades, one is immediately struck by reminders of when it was made: the grainy film, the dreadful soundtrack, the big hair of both its male and female characters. But one is soon also reminded of why it proved such a massive hit, in spite of it's low budget, unpretentious nature. For at its heart, Bill Forsyth's film captures two eternal realities, the (potentially charming) essential uselessness of a certain sort of teenage male, and the particular uselessness of just about all males when confronted by a sufficiently pretty girl (Dee Hepburn, although Clare Grogan, later a pop star, appears in a secondary role). But the gentle narrative eschews the obvious cliché, and it's also nice to see a story set in a Scottish housing scheme that isn't just a tale of drugs and A.I.D.S. It still feels funny and true after almost thirty years.
There's definitely something in the air tonight.
hitchcockthelegend12 June 2012
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
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
Really Sweet
syllavus5 February 2004
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.
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.
Pleasant Comedy
kenjha30 December 2011
A tomboy joins the boys' soccer team at a Scottish school, awakening amorous feelings in a gawky boy on the team. It's a pleasant comedy featuring quirky characters and some amusing scenes. The humor is very low key, perhaps too much so, eliciting little more than an occasional chuckle. There is hardly any plot, with the emphasis being on the interaction among the characters. Lacking an interesting story and funny scenes, the film just seems to run out of steam and begins to drag somewhat about half way through. Sinclair is likable as the nerdy hero. This unassuming film marked the first success for writer-director Forsyth.
The film which best captures what it is like to be an ordinary teenager
JamesHitchcock4 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
To celebrate my 400th review for IMDb, I turn to another of my favourite films. "Gregory's Girl" was one of the first masterpieces of the eighties revival of the British film industry which was to produce the Oscar-winners "Chariots of Fire" and "Gandhi", and films of the calibre of "Local Hero" "Educating Rita", "The Missionary", "A Private Function" and "Hope and Glory".
Like many excellent British films, "Gregory's Girl" has a strong sense of place. Writer/director Forsyth set the film in his native Scotland, but not the tourist Scotland of glens, tartans and single malt whiskies. ("Local Hero", by contrast, is set in an idyllic Highland village). "Gregory's Girl" was the first-ever film to feature Cumbernauld New Town, a modern town between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Cumbernauld's town centre has been variously designated (chiefly by local residents) as the building in Britain most deserving of demolition or (by the international conservationist group DoCoMoMo) as one of the sixty key monuments of post-war architecture. This does not seem the most promising setting for a film, but Forsyth is able to invest the town's bleak modernist housing estates with a surprising amount of melancholy charm.
Gregory is a teenage schoolboy who falls in love with Dorothy, the attractive girl who succeeds him as centre-forward of the school soccer team. Gregory loses his position and is demoted to goalkeeper after the team lose eight games in a row; of his potential replacements, only Dorothy shows any talent, much to the disgust of the sexist games master Phil, who feels that the sport should be for boys only. At first Dorothy responds to Gregory's ardour with polite indifference, but when he asks her for a date, she accepts. Things do not, however, turn out quite as he had planned. Dorothy and two of her friends, Carol and Margo, have conspired to set Gregory up with a fourth girl, Susan, who has always been keen on him.
John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory) and Claire Grogan (Susan) have gone on to become well-known members of the British acting profession; Claire also had a pop career as the lead singer with Altered Images. None of the cast, however, were famous at the time, and few others went on to stardom. Dee Hepburn's beauty and enchanting performance as Dorothy made her seem a promising newcomer, but her acting career was to prove a brief one; her only subsequent role was in the much-derided soap opera "Crossroads". (According to one version, her lack of success was due to an inability to master any accent other than her native Scottish one).
Part of the film's appeal, however, is precisely that it does feature a cast of unknowns, easy to envisage as genuine Scottish teenagers. It made a refreshing change from American high school movies which, then as now, generally used established actors in their late twenties or even thirties; the unkind joke about Stockard Channing's character in "Grease" was that she would leave school when she passed her exams or had her menopause, whichever happened first.
Although the cast may be little-known, however, all play their parts superbly; there is not a single false note. Gregory's friends emerge as characters in their own right. Eric is a photography buff, Steve a talented cook. (There is an element of role reversal in that a girl is the star of the football team and a boy the star of domestic science classes). The slightly older Billy has left school and is working as a window cleaner's mate, giving him a certain status among his former classmates. Andy is the sort of know-all who is always trying to impress by coming out with nuggets of useless (and probably incorrect) information. According to him there are eight women to every man in Caracas, Venezuela; the dubious accuracy of this statistic does not prevent him and a friend from making a vain attempt to hitch-hike there, believing they will have more chance of picking up girls. Other notable contributions come from Jake D'Arcy as the manic Phil, who believes he is a football coach of genius despite the poor performances of his teams, and Allison Forster as Gregory's worldly-wise little sister Madeline.
Madeline, who is only ten years old but who has a depth of insight into human relationships that would put most agony aunts to shame, is not really a realistic character. "Gregory's Girl", however, is not an altogether realistic film, despite its ordinary setting. Like Forsyth's other masterpiece, "Local Hero", it contains elements of magical realism, the juxtaposition of the everyday with the fantastic. The strangest element was the boy wandering round the school dressed as a penguin. No explanation was ever given for his bizarre costume or for his inability to find his way to the right lesson, and yet this detail seemed perfectly at one with the mood of the film. Much of the humorous dialogue also had something of the surreal about it; Phil, asked by the headmaster how Dorothy will cope with having to shower with the boys, replies "Oh, she'll bring her own soap".
I was at university when I saw this film in the cinema in 1981, having left school two years earlier. I could therefore immediately sympathise with its teenage characters particularly the lanky, awkward Gregory, desperate to impress both his friends and the girls. It always struck me that he was less in love with Dorothy herself than he was with the idea of having a girlfriend to boast about; he is quite happy to end up with Susan and even more happy with the idea that having been seen with three girls in one evening has won him the reputation of being a ladies' man. I still think that the best-ever coming-of-age film is "Rebel without a Cause", but that is a tragic drama about situations outside most teenagers' experience. "Gregory's Girl" is the film which best captures what it is like to be an ordinary teenager. 10/10
Like many excellent British films, "Gregory's Girl" has a strong sense of place. Writer/director Forsyth set the film in his native Scotland, but not the tourist Scotland of glens, tartans and single malt whiskies. ("Local Hero", by contrast, is set in an idyllic Highland village). "Gregory's Girl" was the first-ever film to feature Cumbernauld New Town, a modern town between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Cumbernauld's town centre has been variously designated (chiefly by local residents) as the building in Britain most deserving of demolition or (by the international conservationist group DoCoMoMo) as one of the sixty key monuments of post-war architecture. This does not seem the most promising setting for a film, but Forsyth is able to invest the town's bleak modernist housing estates with a surprising amount of melancholy charm.
Gregory is a teenage schoolboy who falls in love with Dorothy, the attractive girl who succeeds him as centre-forward of the school soccer team. Gregory loses his position and is demoted to goalkeeper after the team lose eight games in a row; of his potential replacements, only Dorothy shows any talent, much to the disgust of the sexist games master Phil, who feels that the sport should be for boys only. At first Dorothy responds to Gregory's ardour with polite indifference, but when he asks her for a date, she accepts. Things do not, however, turn out quite as he had planned. Dorothy and two of her friends, Carol and Margo, have conspired to set Gregory up with a fourth girl, Susan, who has always been keen on him.
John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory) and Claire Grogan (Susan) have gone on to become well-known members of the British acting profession; Claire also had a pop career as the lead singer with Altered Images. None of the cast, however, were famous at the time, and few others went on to stardom. Dee Hepburn's beauty and enchanting performance as Dorothy made her seem a promising newcomer, but her acting career was to prove a brief one; her only subsequent role was in the much-derided soap opera "Crossroads". (According to one version, her lack of success was due to an inability to master any accent other than her native Scottish one).
Part of the film's appeal, however, is precisely that it does feature a cast of unknowns, easy to envisage as genuine Scottish teenagers. It made a refreshing change from American high school movies which, then as now, generally used established actors in their late twenties or even thirties; the unkind joke about Stockard Channing's character in "Grease" was that she would leave school when she passed her exams or had her menopause, whichever happened first.
Although the cast may be little-known, however, all play their parts superbly; there is not a single false note. Gregory's friends emerge as characters in their own right. Eric is a photography buff, Steve a talented cook. (There is an element of role reversal in that a girl is the star of the football team and a boy the star of domestic science classes). The slightly older Billy has left school and is working as a window cleaner's mate, giving him a certain status among his former classmates. Andy is the sort of know-all who is always trying to impress by coming out with nuggets of useless (and probably incorrect) information. According to him there are eight women to every man in Caracas, Venezuela; the dubious accuracy of this statistic does not prevent him and a friend from making a vain attempt to hitch-hike there, believing they will have more chance of picking up girls. Other notable contributions come from Jake D'Arcy as the manic Phil, who believes he is a football coach of genius despite the poor performances of his teams, and Allison Forster as Gregory's worldly-wise little sister Madeline.
Madeline, who is only ten years old but who has a depth of insight into human relationships that would put most agony aunts to shame, is not really a realistic character. "Gregory's Girl", however, is not an altogether realistic film, despite its ordinary setting. Like Forsyth's other masterpiece, "Local Hero", it contains elements of magical realism, the juxtaposition of the everyday with the fantastic. The strangest element was the boy wandering round the school dressed as a penguin. No explanation was ever given for his bizarre costume or for his inability to find his way to the right lesson, and yet this detail seemed perfectly at one with the mood of the film. Much of the humorous dialogue also had something of the surreal about it; Phil, asked by the headmaster how Dorothy will cope with having to shower with the boys, replies "Oh, she'll bring her own soap".
I was at university when I saw this film in the cinema in 1981, having left school two years earlier. I could therefore immediately sympathise with its teenage characters particularly the lanky, awkward Gregory, desperate to impress both his friends and the girls. It always struck me that he was less in love with Dorothy herself than he was with the idea of having a girlfriend to boast about; he is quite happy to end up with Susan and even more happy with the idea that having been seen with three girls in one evening has won him the reputation of being a ladies' man. I still think that the best-ever coming-of-age film is "Rebel without a Cause", but that is a tragic drama about situations outside most teenagers' experience. "Gregory's Girl" is the film which best captures what it is like to be an ordinary teenager. 10/10
Gregory's Girl
jboothmillard6 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the only teen films I've seen from Britain, and quite a good one. Gregory (BAFTA nominated John Gordon Sinclair) is the typical Scottish geeky virgin who along with his friends are starting to find out about girls. Soon enough he fancies Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), particularly because she has joined his football team, oh, he's the goalkeeper, and she is a much better player than him and the others. He eventually asks her out, but the females are pretty much in charge, and that includes his young sister Madeline (Allison Forster). It is weird when towards the end Gregory turns his attention to another girl, but it is still a good film. Also starring Jake D'Arcy as Phil Menzies, Clare Grogan as Susan, Robert Buchanan as Andy, Billy Greenlees as Steve, Alan Love as Eric, Caroline Guthrie as Carol, Carol Macartney as Margo, Douglas Sannachan as Billy, Chic Murray as Headmaster, Alex Norton as Alec, John Bett as Alistair and Graham Thompson as Charlie. It won the BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Direction for Bill Forsyth and Best Film. It was number 41 on The 50 Greatest British Films, and it was number 25 on The 50 Greatest Comedy Films. Good!
Did you know that when you sneeze
.?
jonmeta22 May 2006
A lot of so called comedies get one or two big laughs in the whole film, often by reaching down for a reference to one or another substance that comes from the human body. Gregory's Girl makes me laugh every few seconds, and the only mention of a bodily excretion I can remember is Andy's "chat up line" in the school cafeteria: "Did you know that when you sneeze, it comes out of your nose at a 100 miles an hour?" Even though I thought I knew all the funny bits after seeing it so many times, each viewing finds me laughing at things I hadn't noticed before, as well as at all the other bits that never seem to grow stale.
There's the occasional Pythonesque line, as the football coach's description of the "two basic skills" of a goal scorer: "Ball control, shooting accuracy, and the ability to read the game." But Forsyth the writer creates a constant stream of little gems that are very much his own style of wry humour, taking real life and stretching it just that little bit further, but not so far that it's no longer recognisable. He's got teenage life down perfectly. Girls talk, plan, and seem to know what they want. Guys are clueless. Guys are obsessed by numbers. But girls know all the best ones.
It's fun to see how comic setups and situations from Gregory's Girl come back in Forsyth's Local Hero ("everyone's second favourite film", as Mark Kermode put it), deeper and more fully developed.
Despite the dated fashions and soundtrack, highly recommended.
There's the occasional Pythonesque line, as the football coach's description of the "two basic skills" of a goal scorer: "Ball control, shooting accuracy, and the ability to read the game." But Forsyth the writer creates a constant stream of little gems that are very much his own style of wry humour, taking real life and stretching it just that little bit further, but not so far that it's no longer recognisable. He's got teenage life down perfectly. Girls talk, plan, and seem to know what they want. Guys are clueless. Guys are obsessed by numbers. But girls know all the best ones.
It's fun to see how comic setups and situations from Gregory's Girl come back in Forsyth's Local Hero ("everyone's second favourite film", as Mark Kermode put it), deeper and more fully developed.
Despite the dated fashions and soundtrack, highly recommended.
A Film about Football, Teen Angst, Funny Haircuts, Awful Architecture and Dreadful Fashions!
de_niro_20016 May 2008
When first released Gregory's Girl was shown on a double bill with Chariots of Fire, another film which I've reviewed. I also think, due to the time it came out, the early 1980s when cinema seemed to be a dying art form, this led to it being a bit over-rated but it's definitely not a bad film. It's a comedy but not a laugh out loud comedy, in fact the humour is very gentle. One might also say it's a feminist movie. Dorothy is battling sexism to be up there with the guys, the girls are portrayed as smart and sorted out and the guys are portrayed as nerdy and awkward. In some ways now it looks almost as dated as an Ealing comedy. All the guys are having a bad hair day and the film is from an era when there was no internet and there were no mobile phones. The architecture that forms the backdrop is very cold and unwelcoming and some of the film takes place in Cumbernauld Town Centre, which has been officially named as the worst piece of architecture in Europe. Nowadays no guy would ever dress for a first date the way Gregory does. Times have changed a lot since this was made. If workmen wolf-whistled at schoolgirls nowadays they'd run the risk of being arrested! Gregory's Girl shows that a good film can be made on a microscopic budget. But, as I said, because the film industry was in decline when it was made, this led to it being a bit overrated. Also, in those days if you were born in Scotland, female and of school age and you had talent in some area you became Scotland's Darling! This happened to Dee Hepburn just as it happened a few years earlier to Lena Zavaroni. Dee's role in the film is surprisingly not as big as one might expect. But she was hyped a bit out of proportion and depicted in the papers as a beautiful young woman with the world at her feet. She wasn't really that great an actress despite winning a Variety Club Award and her acting career faltered a few years later and she became a sales rep. I just hope though she doesn't realise it was me who wrote this comment, though. I once had a fleeting chance encounter with her and she's a very nice person. But, although Gregory's Girl is good, I prefer to remain in the 21st Century with regard to films about footballing females and Bend It Like Beckham is much much better.
Wonderful rites of passage movie, says more about growing up than a million manuals ever could.
john-9847 January 2004
Quite simply, one of the best British movies ever made, in fact one of the best movies, period. I watch it about three times a year and never tire of it. A film that is up there with the classic Ealing comedies and has every right to be classed alongside the best. John Gordon Sinclair exudes a gawky, gangling charm as the lovesick Gregory and the rest of the cast are perfect.Jake D'Arcy is wonderful as Phil Menzies, the ambitious sports master, the brilliant Chick Murray is the pompous headteacher, Dee Hepburn is Dorothy, the confident, dedicated new member of the soccer team, Gregory is besotted with her. Clare Grogan of Altered Images is Susan, who along with Carol and Margo conspires to make it an evening that Gregory will never forget. Who's going to be Gregory's Girl? Is it any of them, or is it his kid sister Madeline, 10-going-on-20 years old and his mentor. Special mention goes to Rob Buchanan and Graham Thompson as Gregory's mates Andy and Charlie, who feel that life is passing them by and resolve to get girlfriends. Charlie only has one line, right at the end of the film, but it remains my fave line. If you haven't seen Gregory's Girl, quite simply, you are inadequate!
Gregory's Girl
Prismark1019 April 2021
I must have watched Gregory's Girl when it was shown as a double feature with Chariots of Fire.
The thinking must have been with the distributors that both movies were about sports.
Well Gregory's Girl is about Dorothy (Dee Hepburn) a pretty teenager who wins a place at her high school football team.
The coach felt that the team needed a shake up after their losing streak but a female forward was not in the forefront of his mind.
Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) the gawky lanky goalie immediately gets the hots for Dorothy.
Gregory and his mates have all reached that awkward age. Teenage boys obsessed with sex and have no girlfriends. Two of them persuade themselves to go to Caracas on the basis that the women outnumber the men.
For Gregory who summons up the courage to ask Dorothy out for a date. He discovers that someone close to him reallys wants to be his girl.
The word charming was the overused term that describes Bill Forsyth's Scottish movie about teenagers looking for love. It benefitted from sweet naturalistic performances from its young cast.
It had a quirky tinge, like the boy in a penguin suit wandering about the school. It was ahead of its time regarding female footballers.
It struck a chord with incompetent spotty teenagers who get blanked by pretty girls.
Gregory's Girl is an endearing movie with a slight story aimed at British teenagers.
The thinking must have been with the distributors that both movies were about sports.
Well Gregory's Girl is about Dorothy (Dee Hepburn) a pretty teenager who wins a place at her high school football team.
The coach felt that the team needed a shake up after their losing streak but a female forward was not in the forefront of his mind.
Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) the gawky lanky goalie immediately gets the hots for Dorothy.
Gregory and his mates have all reached that awkward age. Teenage boys obsessed with sex and have no girlfriends. Two of them persuade themselves to go to Caracas on the basis that the women outnumber the men.
For Gregory who summons up the courage to ask Dorothy out for a date. He discovers that someone close to him reallys wants to be his girl.
The word charming was the overused term that describes Bill Forsyth's Scottish movie about teenagers looking for love. It benefitted from sweet naturalistic performances from its young cast.
It had a quirky tinge, like the boy in a penguin suit wandering about the school. It was ahead of its time regarding female footballers.
It struck a chord with incompetent spotty teenagers who get blanked by pretty girls.
Gregory's Girl is an endearing movie with a slight story aimed at British teenagers.
Charming
angelofvic24 July 2010
TCM aired Gregory's Girl this week and I taped and just watched it. I recalled that the Brits on IMDb had recommended it, and that it's in the top 30 of BFI's 100 Best British Films. But I didn't know it would be this great or that I would love it this much! It's so charming, refreshing, original and unpredictable and non-formulaic. And so non-commercial and non-cheesy and non-pandering (unlike some elements of John Hughes). Plus it's a coming-of-age rom-com for ADULTS rather than for teens.
Such a wonderful script and characters, and an excellent cast starting with the likes of John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory), Allison Forster (Madeline), and Clare Grogan (Susan). Magic can happen when an extremely low-budget film in good hands combines local non-actors or novices with a superb script, brilliant directing, and a lot of passion. This seems to happen with several British films: Kes, The Full Monty, Billy Eliot, etc. In these sorts of films we also get authentic and undiluted local flavor -- flavor which is homogenized out of most Hollywood fare.
Do check it out, especially if you are an American!
Such a wonderful script and characters, and an excellent cast starting with the likes of John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory), Allison Forster (Madeline), and Clare Grogan (Susan). Magic can happen when an extremely low-budget film in good hands combines local non-actors or novices with a superb script, brilliant directing, and a lot of passion. This seems to happen with several British films: Kes, The Full Monty, Billy Eliot, etc. In these sorts of films we also get authentic and undiluted local flavor -- flavor which is homogenized out of most Hollywood fare.
Do check it out, especially if you are an American!
cute and memorable
mbrcf3 March 2020
The film is a cute romantic coming of age story about a teenager called Gregory. Not much happens in the course of this film, it doesn't really have a plot, yet again almost everything about this film, from those weird haircuts to characters with thick Scottish accent is pleasant and charming. There are some memorable lines in this film and I found myself connecting with pretty much every characer, even those two dudes on a crusade to find girlfriends. As far as coming of age movies goes, this one felt kind of unique.
What the hell did I just watch?
tuexss30 November 2014
Wow, words can't describe what I just experienced. In contrast to jonmeta, I have to say, that the dated fashions and soundtrack were the only recommendable parts of this movie, and what kept me from turning it off instantly.
The script is just weird, characters appearing and disappearing with no plot line at all. The characters are flat stereotypes with no development. The acting is horrible. I've seen kindergarden kids perform better on memorized lines than these guys. The camera is just boooring, unless it's awkward - then it's awkward. I didn't laugh once throughout this movie, nor felt any sympathy for any of the characters. My first completely emotionless movie experience. There's better acting and storytelling in porn movies going on.
The only thing that was interesting for me, were the background sceneries of a 70s town in the UK, and the different haircuts and the fashion. The accent of the people was of some interest as well. That's what the 1 star is for, otherwise I'd have to give 0 - meaning not even wasting time on writing this review.
The script is just weird, characters appearing and disappearing with no plot line at all. The characters are flat stereotypes with no development. The acting is horrible. I've seen kindergarden kids perform better on memorized lines than these guys. The camera is just boooring, unless it's awkward - then it's awkward. I didn't laugh once throughout this movie, nor felt any sympathy for any of the characters. My first completely emotionless movie experience. There's better acting and storytelling in porn movies going on.
The only thing that was interesting for me, were the background sceneries of a 70s town in the UK, and the different haircuts and the fashion. The accent of the people was of some interest as well. That's what the 1 star is for, otherwise I'd have to give 0 - meaning not even wasting time on writing this review.
takes me back to teenage years...
suehockleyford16 October 2004
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.
Simple and beautiful - brings me back every time.
charlie_bucket7 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
One of my favorite things about this movie is that it captures a sort of 'parentless' world that further enhances its subtle and sweet adolescent tone. While there are adult characters in the film (most notably the coach, who is himself awkward and hardly authoritative), and while we meet Gregory's dad briefly, they come off as backdrop, and the overall impression is that this is like a live-action, Scottish, adolescent version of Charles Schulz's 'Peanuts' movies, where kids run about on their own seemingly at whim after school, but aren't necessarily concerned with being full of destructive mischief given that freedom. Indeed, the most mature character in the entire film may be the 10-year-old sister of the main character, and this flip-flop of roles is further illustrated by his sister's little suitor friend, Richard, acting ever the gentleman even through Gregory's very funny verbal onslaught.
The contrast between teenage lust/horniness against the innocent and awkward nature of teenage infatuation and the eventual sweetness of the first kiss are spread decidedly toward the latter here. This is not Porky's or American Pie, despite an opening scene that maybe belongs in that territory. This is a very sensitive movie that treats kids as if they're real people, and allows for that kernel of dirty-minded lust to exist side-by-side with the fresh and innocent electrical sweetness of young love, and nevertheless avoids seriousness through that sensitivity, and serves each comedic moment up in the most understated and warm way it can. It's very natural, and it captures best the way adolescence really is: A no-man's land between being an utter child and becoming an adult.
The director also achieved a great contrast in moods and environments, with the 1970s prog-jazz score and understated sterility of a boxy 1960-70s planned community with its plain institutional nature shown by the modern school and town planning. Somehow, it manages to bring everything about the characters and dialog into relief.
Great acting from a cast of mostly unknowns, a more-or-less aimless story that you don't want to end, and a lovely look back to a time period that I actually miss make this movie a favorite.
The contrast between teenage lust/horniness against the innocent and awkward nature of teenage infatuation and the eventual sweetness of the first kiss are spread decidedly toward the latter here. This is not Porky's or American Pie, despite an opening scene that maybe belongs in that territory. This is a very sensitive movie that treats kids as if they're real people, and allows for that kernel of dirty-minded lust to exist side-by-side with the fresh and innocent electrical sweetness of young love, and nevertheless avoids seriousness through that sensitivity, and serves each comedic moment up in the most understated and warm way it can. It's very natural, and it captures best the way adolescence really is: A no-man's land between being an utter child and becoming an adult.
The director also achieved a great contrast in moods and environments, with the 1970s prog-jazz score and understated sterility of a boxy 1960-70s planned community with its plain institutional nature shown by the modern school and town planning. Somehow, it manages to bring everything about the characters and dialog into relief.
Great acting from a cast of mostly unknowns, a more-or-less aimless story that you don't want to end, and a lovely look back to a time period that I actually miss make this movie a favorite.
The best film ever made in Scotland.
carterferguson2 April 2009
This is it, it's Gregory's Girl. Don't look up reviews just buy it watch it and enjoy it. It's Napolean Dynamite 25 years before Napolean Dynamite. It's charming, naive, funny with a capital F and is a slice of early 1980's life worth revisiting again and again. If you've never seen it then stop everything and go to ebay or amazon and get buying. You may get hit with a bus and never get to see this film if you leave it any longer, so go now, stop everything and enjoy Gregory's Girl. Notable performances from all but watch out for John Gordon Sinclair who plays the Gregory, David Anderson playing his dad and Rab Buchanan as his friend. Scattered gems of performances from many many others such as Alex Norton and Chic Murray. It's in my "top 5 movies ever made" category for sure.
I've seen this film about 20 times.
v_generacion10 August 2004
OK. I've seen this film about 20 times, and I think I may watch it at least 20 more. Why? You may ask. Well, how about the best movie ever?. Yes, it is a comedy, and yes it is very innocent, but if you have ever been in love or at least you think you have, I'm sure you will enjoy it.
I saw this movie on one of those late night showings and having nothing better to do I kept watching. From the beginning I was hooked, I just couldn't stop watching. Somehow It reminded me of my teenage years and how deeply you could fall in love.
This film show us that, for a movie to be really good, a large budget is not necessary, not even a bunch of stars (at the time they were pretty unknown, I think), just a great filmmaker and something important to tell, 'That's that. No eggs, no strudel. Nothing'.
I saw this movie on one of those late night showings and having nothing better to do I kept watching. From the beginning I was hooked, I just couldn't stop watching. Somehow It reminded me of my teenage years and how deeply you could fall in love.
This film show us that, for a movie to be really good, a large budget is not necessary, not even a bunch of stars (at the time they were pretty unknown, I think), just a great filmmaker and something important to tell, 'That's that. No eggs, no strudel. Nothing'.
Director Bill Forsyth depicts how a young British lad gets true love in a film with football as a key element.
FilmCriticLalitRao20 June 2015
British film 'Gregory's Girl' is about the innocent world of young people who learn about different ways of the world uniquely from their own ingenuous perspective. The film is set in a small Glasgow school where everybody knows each other. It is a challenging sphere where one might become fascinated with sex but true love is what everybody seems to be searching. Some are able to get a taste of love whereas some have to wait a little longer or are even forced to make plans to go as far as Caracas to find love. In this Bill Forsyth film, the main focus is on the game of football as the film revolves around this energetic sport where even a girl gets all opportunities to be hailed as a great football player. Suspense is maintained throughout the film as nobody can guess who is going to end up as 'Gregory's Girl' till the end of the film.
My brief review of the film
sol-29 September 2005
A far too mild but still relatively pleasant Scottish comedy with pertinent ideas about teenage delusions and illusions concerning the concept of love, the film does not really go anywhere though, and there is not too much about the production that is really exceptional. Allison Forster is fairly good as the main character's younger but yet more down-to-earth sister, and there are some things that are interesting about the film, such as the lack of parent figures. However, it is just missing oomph - something special - to raise it above the norm, and the thick Scottish accents that are hard to hear are no real help.
I love this movie
sharksandwitch27 May 2004
I love this movie.Its my fav movie of all time ,Everytime i watch it its like meeting an old friend again.It is so rich with subtle humour and possibly every scene makes me chuckle.the teenage anguish is never over played and ever actor in the film has never surpassed there performances in this movie
growing up in Scotland myself i still don't feel that the movie is regional and anyone who is able to see it please do so .The clothes are dated but the humour is still spot on.
This film is a Scottish gem and should be given more praise.I just cant fault it.If i had to cut my DVD collection down to two gregorys girl and this is spinal tap would be my only choices.
growing up in Scotland myself i still don't feel that the movie is regional and anyone who is able to see it please do so .The clothes are dated but the humour is still spot on.
This film is a Scottish gem and should be given more praise.I just cant fault it.If i had to cut my DVD collection down to two gregorys girl and this is spinal tap would be my only choices.
My favourite film of all time
matwsussx17 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I adore this movie. Putting it into words as to why is probably far more difficult for this film than any of the others i have talked about on this website. Firstly i can totally empathise with the lead character.... even down to the the fantastic choice of bands displayed on his wall (the Jam and the Specials although i am not too sure about Patti Smith myself!) We've all probably been in the situations Gregory finds himself in during the movie and this just brings it all back... playing football in the school team (and chatting nonchalently to spectators when should have been keeping an eye on players bearing down on goal), getting into scrapes with teachers and of course that first date with the girl of your dreams. I always come away from watching this movie with a high feel good factor. Gregory ends up with Susan who is far more suited and better for him than Dorothy even if it takes the whole movie for him to discover this. You even feel it will work out for his mates Andy and Charlie as they trudge off at the end in the cheerful knowledge that they can start afresh chasing girls the next day (i love the way Charlie doesn't say a word thru the whole movie, goes along with Andy's silly schemes and eventually gets the last word). In addition to these characters there's a whole slew of fantastic characters such as Steve whos obsessed with his baking enterprise, the eccentric headmaster ("off you go, you small boys,") and of course Mr Menzies the bumbling PE teacher who isn't really taken seriously by the other male teachers in the school and is obsessed with putting together the perfect football team. Another thing i like is the way the younger kids seem more in control and knowledgeable than Gregory and his mates. Gregory's sister is the one with the fashion sense and is the guiding hand in trying to sort out his love life while its Gregory who is the petulant immature one when confronted by his sisters' young admirer at the front door. I think this movie has a refreshing view of the innocence of early school days as opposed to other films which may go down the darker Grange Hill route of drugs/bullying etc.
Gregory and dating
corfe6120 May 2006
I remember going to the cinema to watch 'Grease',while 'Gregorys Girl 'was the support. What an anti climax when 'grease' came on while my mind kept flashing back to the wonderful ,previous film i had watched before.
Must of watched the film a million and nine times since and never tire from watching what was the sweetest ,funniest and atmospheric film with the greatest soundtrack ever. I loved the end to the film and whenever i had a date with a girl in the eighties and nineties my mind would flashback to a certain clock tower, a white jacket (without the stain),a beret,whistling, horizontal dancing and kissing with numbers.Unfortunately my dates would never hit the heights of Gregorys date but if i was fortunate to get the girl home then without fail the Gregorys video would be shown to what would normally work in my favour. Bella Bella !
Must of watched the film a million and nine times since and never tire from watching what was the sweetest ,funniest and atmospheric film with the greatest soundtrack ever. I loved the end to the film and whenever i had a date with a girl in the eighties and nineties my mind would flashback to a certain clock tower, a white jacket (without the stain),a beret,whistling, horizontal dancing and kissing with numbers.Unfortunately my dates would never hit the heights of Gregorys date but if i was fortunate to get the girl home then without fail the Gregorys video would be shown to what would normally work in my favour. Bella Bella !
sweet, innocent, natural and so endearing about first love/crush
vlloyd4610 May 2014
Oh my, this has to be one of my most favourite films of all, all time. Gordon Sinclair was made for this role, with his gangly, clumsy physique. Who really hasn't a chance in hell with Dorothy, the one with the hair and the teeth and the smell!
I also love it that the teachers are shown as overgrown twats, just like the kids. Although I do find the comments made by the adults about the young girls very near the knuckle. Which I'm sure does go on in the staff room.
I love Andy going on about 'the big trucks' and the one that just stuffs his face throughout the whole film. Only to open his gob at the end to suggest that Karacus was mispelt after four hours of attempting to hitch hike!
Anyone that doesn't appreciate the beauty of this innocent, vulnerable film about your first love is a bloody pratt!!!
I also love it that the teachers are shown as overgrown twats, just like the kids. Although I do find the comments made by the adults about the young girls very near the knuckle. Which I'm sure does go on in the staff room.
I love Andy going on about 'the big trucks' and the one that just stuffs his face throughout the whole film. Only to open his gob at the end to suggest that Karacus was mispelt after four hours of attempting to hitch hike!
Anyone that doesn't appreciate the beauty of this innocent, vulnerable film about your first love is a bloody pratt!!!
A joy.
mj_taylor1081 April 2003
Few films i would describe as being a joy from start to finish. Maybe this is the only one. When things go bad they're never that bad for Gregory, okay he loses his place in the football team, but he's in love - who cares? And when he finally gets his dream date with Dorothy and is lead from pillar to post, by first one girl then another he takes it all in his stride. And why not...he's young, it's a lovely Summer's day in Cumbernauld...it's all there for the taking.
If this film doesn't make you smile, you either have no heart or the Scottish accents are put you off. Give them a chance, us Scot's folks flock, like the rest of the world to see films from the US - it's not that difficult. So go on, search this movie out...the esteemed critic Barry Norman has this great movie in his top 100 films of the century, furthermore it's the only post 70's UK film...so check it out.
If this film doesn't make you smile, you either have no heart or the Scottish accents are put you off. Give them a chance, us Scot's folks flock, like the rest of the world to see films from the US - it's not that difficult. So go on, search this movie out...the esteemed critic Barry Norman has this great movie in his top 100 films of the century, furthermore it's the only post 70's UK film...so check it out.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
