Monday, April 18, 2011

Made in Dagenham Boasts Equality for Entertainment and Safety

Made in Dagenham (3 out of 5 stars)

Directed by: Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls)
Written by: Billy Ivory
Starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, and Rosamund Pike

This story chronicles the the journey of the women who work in Ford's Motor plant in Dagenham, England.  The woman are working for less pay then the men, and they decide to stand up for their rights and walk out of the plant.  The women find a mouthpiece in Rita O'Grady (Hawkins) who is encouraged by her union representative Albert (Hoskins) to keep going further and push for equality for all the women who work in upholster part of the plant.  Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) is a brilliant actress and just shine in the role of Rita; she is a force to be reckoned with as her character and pushes the limit with her humor, wit, and sincerity in her acting style.

Rita builds a connection with Lisa the wife of the man who is charge of the plant (she doesn't know who Lisa is at the time) and they form a connection because Lisa was educated at Cambridge but has been content with playing the role of the house wife.  Rosamund Pike is turning out to be a wonderful actress; she longs to be more than just a house wife, and Pike conveys such depth in a small role.  Hoskins is always great, and Richardson exudes confidence as government minister Barbara Castle who helps the women in their fight for equality.

This film is the British Norma Rae.  Both films were entertaining, and made you stand up and cheer for women who push the boundaries to get their voice heard.  The difference is that when I watched this film it felt as though the director played it safe, and never let the material of the film go deeper.  Nigel Cole's direction is often simple, and simple can be a good thing, but this film could have been so much more.  I stood up to cheer for the acting, but that's about all.

My Recommendation: It's entertaining and has good acting.  Watch the preview below, if you are moved rent it, if not keep searching Netflix.


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