Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

craig-hopton A nice feel-good movie charting industrial action by female machinists at Ford's Dagenham factory.The tone is upbeat, stirring. The female workers are presented as down-to-earth, colourful, commonsense types, pitted against the vested interests of the grey suits in both Ford's management and the Union hierarchy.The cast features the great and good of the British film industry - Miranda Richardson, Bob Hoskins, Andrea Riseborough and others all put in good turns and give the movie plenty of character. Sally Hawkins steals the show as the movement's natural- born leader, Rita O'Grady.The movie does dip its toe into some of the conflicts created by the women's actions - there's the sacrifices Rita has to make at home and the strain on her marriage, the infighting in the union, and the impact the women have on men's jobs at the factory. But it never turns too dark. It sticks to its guns as a feel-good movie and you never have much doubt that it will end happily.Overall, this a highly watchable movie filled with character and life and a good dose of history too.

TheLittleSongbird The talented cast and the interesting subject matter were Made in Dagenham's selling points, and Made in Dagenham doesn't disappoint. Sure it is formulaic and the opposition is not as well-developed or as interesting as the machinists(Kenneth Cranham's character is a little one-dimensional), otherwise it is a terrific film that is as successful in comedy as it is in drama and balances both very well.Made in Dagenham's production values are superb, the 1960s setting and period detail is remarkably vivid and it's beautifully shot. The catchy soundtrack also excels in bringing the 60s to life and nothing came over as misplaced. Nigel Cole's direction is never too flashy and never simplistic and always assured, technically accomplished and with the ability to tell a story with heart and that's always engaging. There is a great story here, while it is formulaic the balance of comedy, how it handles its subject with such truth and no one-sided-ness and drama and mix of gritty social history make it always interesting and more than makes up for that. The ending is very uplifting and affecting, and it is easy for identify with the machinists and their struggles every step of the way.The film's very intelligently scripted, with the subject matter dealt with insightfully and with tension and the dialogue is hilariously entertaining in the comedy and genuinely touching in the drama. I also found the characters compelling and easy to relate to, but if there is one asset that was especially good in Made in Dagenham it was the acting. Sally Hawkins is a revelation in the lead role and she is brilliantly supported by a scene-stealing Miranda Richardson, a movingly sympathetic Bob Hoskins, a funny and moving Rosamund Pike in one of her better performances, a sleazy Kenneth Cranham and a heart-wrenching Roger Lloyd Pack et al. All in all, a terrific film with even better acting. 9/10 Bethany Cox

lasttimeisaw Sally Hawkins' Golden Globe winning in 2009 for HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008) prompts herself to the eminent status as a new rising star from UK, so two years later, she acquired another hard- earned leading role in this Nigel Cole (CALENDAR GIRLS 2003, a 7/10) helmed biographic story of women's fighting for equal rights (equal pay). It is rather hard to believe that merely half-a-century ago, equal pay would induce such a startling pain-in-the-neck in UK, the most advanced and civilised country in the world, which should have been taken for granted by anyone anywhere now without a second thought. So each and every little progress in the human history needs tremendous effort to push behind it, and gladly this film is able to manage a solid job to portray such an effort with a strongly female- skewed cast. Hawkins has an ardent inner power within her willowy body, the most intense scene is the explosive encounter between her and her husband (Daniel Mays), when she shoots back with the punchline "It is what it should be!", definitely a soul-lifting achievement just by one single line and her current ranking is among my top 5 in the leading actress category. Then comes to the supporting group, Oscar-nominees Hoskins and Richardson are both fine, but unfortunately no scene-stealing moment; otherwise veteran Geraldine James and the former Bond-girl Rosamund Pike are the lucky ones here, the former is compellingly amiable even in her saddest time, while the latter deftly utilising her very meagre screen time to declare her faculty in transform some average shots into her personal proscenium (she is among my top 10 supporting actress list). The film may not be an idiosyncratic piece of work which should have infusing new blood into the heartening but vaguely worn-out biography breed, and more or less, its narrative strategy is too formal and a trifle conservative, but it has its flair in instilling a feel-good assurance to its audience without being dictatorial and sermonic, plus an adroit engineering of its source material into its maximum momentum, and last not the least, a laudable UK troupe is the key of it.

ajs-10 I remember when this came out the director came on the radio and complained bitterly that it had been given a 15 certificate. The main reason for this was the amount of swearing used, particularly in the first half of the film. Well, I'm sorry to say Mr Cole, but the BBFC were right, I'm pretty sure 12 year olds swear enough without seeing adults doing it to that extent on the big screen. But enough of my ramblings… more after this very brief summary.It is 1968 and the Ford motor company have several large manufacturing plants here in the UK. One of the largest is at Dagenham in the South East of England and part of their operation is the women who sew together the seat covers etc. Their job has been downgraded as unskilled and they are paid the minimum Ford can get away with. With the help of their union representative, Albert Passingham, they take a vote and decide to stand up for their rights. A meeting is convened with the management and Rita O'Grady is one of those picked to represent the workers. At the meeting, Rita is unhappy with the way they are treated and tells them that they are going out on strike. It turns out there are bigger issues at stake and this little dispute is soon making national news as the people come to the realisation it's more about equal pay for women than anything else. I won't say any more or the Spoiler Police will be checking my union card.Well made with some nice comic moments, but it's FAR from the comedy much of the publicity may tell you it is. Decent performances all round, particularly from; Sally Hawkins as Rita O'Grady, Geraldine James as Connie, Bob Hoskins as Albert Passingham, Jaime Winstone as Sandra, Daniel Mays as Eddie O'Grady, Rosamund Pike as Lisa Hopkins and Miranda Richardson as Barbara Castle.One of the things that put me off seeing this at the cinema was the fact that it was being touted as a comedy. Imagine my surprise when I found it was actually a semi-biographical drama about the struggle for equal pay for women with some comic moments thrown in. A much better proposition in my book and one I pretty much enjoyed. Throw in a few tunes of the day and you've got something certainly worth a look. I may be slightly biased because these events occurred during my lifetime, although I was pretty young at the time, but still, it's a pretty good film and worth a viewing if you get the chance.My score: 7.1/10 IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 3,829 votes at the time of going to press).