★ 6 / 10
The good thing about this film is that
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The good thing about this film is that it stands alone - you don't have to have seen the original. Unfortunately this is also it's biggest drawback. It would…
The good thing about this film is that it stands alone - you don't have to have seen the original. Unfortunately this is also it's biggest drawback. It would have been nice to have included a few of the original characters in the new story and seen how their lives had developed. Sinclair as in the original is excellent and provides the films best comic moments as he attempts to deal with awkward and embarrassing situations but the supporting cast is not as strong as in the original movie. Forsyth is to be congratulated on a brave attempt to move the character on and create an original sequel but the film is ultimately flawed and lacks the warmth of the original
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★ 3 / 10
By the late 1990's, Bill Forsyth, once the
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By the late 1990's, Bill Forsyth, once the great hope of British cinema in the 1980's, had come undone. He had been to Hollywood, but it ended badly when…
By the late 1990's, Bill Forsyth, once the great hope of British cinema in the 1980's, had come undone. He had been to Hollywood, but it ended badly when Warner Bros. recut Being Human (1994), he returned to Scotland where he found success in the first place to do a sequel to Gregory's Girl (1981), which picks up 18 years later, but it's not the same as the original, and not in a good way. Gregory Underwood (John Gordon Sinclair) is now 35 years old, and working as a teacher at his old school, where he is now an English teacher. He is in a relationship with Bel (Maria Doyle Kennedy), but he just can't seem to kick his old schoolboy urges, especially when he gets involved with 16 year old student Frances (Carly McKinnon). While Gregory has fantasies about her, all Frances wants to do is along with fellow student Douglas (Hugh McCue) expose the evil practices against human rights going on at a local factory being done by an old schoolchum of Gregory's, Fraser Rowan (Dougray Scott), now a rich entrepreneur. Some of this is just plain creepy, and made at a time with paedophilia became public paranoia, it's a wonder Forsyth got away with this, But for whatever reason, it killed Forsyth's career and he hasn't directed since, even though there's rumours that he might make a comeback one day, surely it has to be better than this cack-handed sequel.
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