Amazon.com video review:
There is something so utterly captivating about this Bill Forsyth
film--whether it's the
quaintness of authentic Scottish accents (softened for its U.S. release) or
the wholly universal story of
young love. But what really gives Gregory's Girl its
evergreen appeal is the enchanting
performance of young Gordon John Sinclair as the eponymous gangly lead.
With his shock of red hair, he's
all arms and legs--and inexperience. Gregory becomes infatuated with
Dorothy (a lovely Dee Hepburn),
who proves a heartier and better athlete than he is. Gregory's so clueless,
he relies on advice from his
wee sister. The story may be familiar, but Forsyth's astute and
affectionate rendering gives the film its
momentum (the film won best screenplay
at the British Academy Awards). If American viewers at first struggle to
understand the well-written
banter, it is worth the effort
because there's charm in nearly every line. It's curious that both Sinclair
and Hepburn, seemingly poised on the brink of stardom here, either chose
not to take advantage of the possible opportunity or weren't ever offered
roles as wonderful as these. (Sinclair had a small role
in Forsyth's Local Hero and starred in 1986's The Girl in the
Picture and other small films. Hepburn appears to
have worked only once post-Gregory, a brief stint in the British series
Crossroads.) Forsyth completed a 1998 sequel, with Sinclair and
Ever After's Dougray Scott. --N.F. Mendoza
