In Greatest Days, Rachel is a nurse in her late 30s/early 40s who spends her days and nights working shifts at the local hospital. When she’s not caring for sick children, she’s at home with her long-time boyfriend, and her dog, and she loves listening to music.
For most of her life, Rachel has been a fan of a boy band called The Boys, who she has adored since she was a teenager. This quintet of crooners played a huge role during her youth, back when she would listen to their songs endlessly with her four best friends from Clitheroe.
One day, on her way to work, Rachel hears about a competition on the radio, where one lucky winner will win five tickets to see The Boys at a reunion gig. The gig is taking place in Athens, and the competition includes an all-expenses paid trip.
After entering the contest, Rachel is surprised to discover she has won the tickets, and will soon be jetting off to see the band. But while this pleases her greatly, Rachel isn’t quite sure what to do with the spare tickets.
Ideally, she wants to ask her old school friends to go with her, so they can relive the glory days of their youth. However, 25 years have passed since the girls last spoke to each other, and a lot has happened within this time.
Deciding it is too big an opportunity to pass up, Rachel gives the tickets to her friends, so they can reunite over this once-in-a-lifetime trip. But will the girls have the time of their lives, or will a past trauma resurface?
Directed by Coky Giedroyc, and starring Aisling Bea, Alice Lowe, Jayde Adams, and Amaka Okafor, Greatest Days is a British musical, which is new to UK cinemas from today. The film is based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based around the songs of Brit pop group, Take That.
Although the movie is not about Take That, and the boy band in Greatest Days is called The Boys, the film features Take That songs throughout. It is a jukebox musical showcasing all their hits, spliced into a story about old friends reconnecting after many years apart.
Similar in tone to the Mamma Mia! movies, Greatest Days is humorous, heartfelt, and as camp as Christmas. As a card-carrying, flag waving homosexual, this is one of the campest movies I’ve seen in a long time, and I loved every minute of it.
Greatest Days is at its core a story about finding happiness, even if you feel your best days have come and gone. In the film, Rachel is at a crossroads in her life, largely going through the motions, but reconnecting with her past could be the key to a happier future.
Without giving too much away, something significant happened amongst Rachel’s friend group, which ultimately sent everyone on a different path. This is explored throughout the movie, with the use of extensive flashbacks which help fill in the gaps.
Similar to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Greatest Days straddles two timelines, which show Rachel and her friends as teenagers in the 1990s, and Rachel and her friends in the present day. These two timelines are interwoven, allowing audiences to follow the story as it moves back and forth, establishing who these girls are and where they have come from.
The more story that unfolds, the stronger the film becomes. I don’t mind telling you that as it builds towards its finale, it all becomes quite emotional, and it’s likely to have you shedding a tear or two (it certainly had me blubbing in my seat).
Anyone who is of a similar age to the core cast in the film will find certain aspects of the story very relatable, and will most definitely find themselves reminiscing throughout the movie. The journey being told is a fairly straight-forward one, but one which will hold a great deal of meaning to adults who long to return to their own ‘greatest days’.
Those who grew up with the music of Take That will also find themselves having a ball, as various songs are chucked at the screen, often with careless abandon and usually backed up by some bonkers choreography. Do all the songs fit in the film? Heck, no; but when has that ever seemed to matter?!
As with many musicals of this ilk (i.e. ones which use a back catalogue of hits from an established pop act) some of the songs in Greatest Days do feel as if they have been ham-fisted into scenes, rather than lovingly placed, yet even when this happens, it doesn’t take the shine off the picture. This is because a.) Take That have some magnificent songs, and b.) at the centre of this film is a touching story about friendship, loss, and the reality of growing up, and this more than makes up for any squiffy song placements.
If you’re looking for something fun to watch at the cinema, which is daft, often quite silly, but also emotionally impactful, then Greatest Days is the film for you. It won’t appeal to those who dislike musicals, or who aren’t open to something whimsical, but if you want a giggle, then it does the job.
Greatest Days is a fizzy pop picture, ideal for those who want to knock back a couple of glasses of Prosecco in the company of friends. So, grab the girls, gather together your best gaggle of gays, and enjoy what’s on offer.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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