Mike Leigh is one of my favourite contemporary filmmakers. After two masterpieces: the underrated "Naked" (1993) and the internationally acclaimed "Secrets & Lies" (1996), he made this brilliant "little" film about two former flat mates, Annie (Lynda Steadman), extremely self-conscious, and Hannah (the always magnificent Katrin Cartlidge), wildly outspoken, who reunite for a weekend 6 years after their college graduation. They remember and discuss all the good and bad times they spent together, while trying to figure out their own current lives.In just 87 minutes, Leigh creates one of the most compelling, realistic and moving portrayals of a real long-term friendship and all its ins-and-outs. With a soundtrack composed of hits by The Cure and an amazing cast (not just the fantastic leading actresses shine: Mark Benton as the pathetic Ricky Burton and a pre-Gollum Andy Serkis in a hilarious cameo also stand out), "Career Girls" flows like an afternoon spent with a loved one we haven't seen for a long time. Forget "Beaches" and other cheesy tearjerkers: alongside Rob Reiner's classic "Stand by Me" (1986), "Career Girls" is one of the most beautiful friendship films you'll ever see. 10/10.

I had the pleasure of watching this film on Film Four last night. The plot was simple but thats the beauty of Mike Leigh's films. There's not a whole lot of action but he conveys the basic realities of life, whether happy or harsh, with such credibility and enthusiasm. He comes across as a really good director for actors to work with. He gives them the freedom to express themselves and really go for it, no matter how subtle or OTT they might be. It is refreshing to see drama like this, done with such work-rate and honesty, not the trash Hollywood produces while paying talentless actors millions for portraying characters that no one cares about. Thats the talent of Leigh and the actors he collaborates with. They create and portray characters that the viewer can relate to and care about, whether it's Lynda Steadmans' Annie longing for love while dealing with her allergies or Karin Cartlidges' Hannah and her search for happiness while dealing with her mother's alcohol problem. Mark Bentons' Ricky is beautifully tragic to watch as it displays the capabilities of this highly talented actor. Not for everyone this film, but if you appreciate great acting, wonderful story-telling and the value of true friendship, I highly recommend that you see this when the chance arises again.

As a life-long Mike Leigh fan, I first saw CAREER GIRLS on its cinema release a couple of years ago. No, it didn't make quite the same impact as (for example) NAKED or SECRETS AND LIES, but nonetheless it does boast impressive and detailed performances from its lead actors. Katrin Cartlidge's work was always intense and magnetic (I was lucky enough to see her on stage in Theatre de Complicite's MNEMONIC in 1998) - and her recent, tragic death from septicaemia in September 2002, aged 41, was a desperately sad loss to top-notch acting and independent film making.

I haven't got a clue why this film got such good reviews, especially in the press. It's a boring, irritating "film" in which nothing happens. The story is ludicrous: it centers around two ex-roommates/friends who meet again after six years. Their lives have changed, they've become more mature. We can see how they were years before, through a series of flash-backs.This is a film by Mike Leigh, who has been praised for making such strong character studies, in which the story is less important than the people. SECRETS AND LIES was in the same style and is maybe his best known film. Although this was also an uninteresting and cold film, it had something of a story in it. You got (in a certain way) a chance to know something about the characters. But this film is a total disaster. What did these actors for example eat: were they on speed or what? why did they act this way? The Ricky-character for example is good for a few unintended laughs , but I think the director told him to say whatever words came to his mind, so that he could mumble through the film.But the true uninteresting, even irritating characters are the main ones: the two girls. You never quite get to know them so you never get to care about them. The fact that they act as lunatics and talk the same way doesn't help either. It's almost impossible to understand the conversations, especially in the beginning. And what do they actually talk about? Does this have a meaning? The film is filled with such a stupid dialogue.I can't recommend this film to anyone. It's simply to dumb. And if you would choose to watch this film(and sit through it!), you got to ask yourself the question in the end: why in God's name do we need such a film? I dare you to watch it and tell me, cause I simply don't know what good these 90 minutes did to my life. 3/10