The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Gillies MacKinnon

Writer:

Alan Plater (writer)

Release Date:

26 August 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's never too late for an encore.

Plot:

A woman tries to reunite the swing band she played with during WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Swing Band | Cross Dressing | WWII | Scotland | Drag

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Judi Dench	...	Elizabeth
Ian Holm	...	Patrick
Leslie Caron	...	Madeleine
Olympia Dukakis	...	Dinah
Cleo Laine	...	Gwen
Joan Sims	...	Betty
Billie Whitelaw	...	Evelyn
June Whitfield	...	Annie
Thelma Ruby	...	Vera
Millie Findlay	...	Joanna (Elizabeth's granddaughter)
Felicity Dean	...	Patricia
Nicholas Palliser	...	Edward (as Nicholas Pallister)
Valentine Pelka	...	Leslie
Carla MacKinnon	...	Carol
Dom Chapman	...	Paul (street musician)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The film contains the last acting performance of Joan Sims.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the girls are walking across the rubble after the bombings we see one of the girls in a red coat wearing trainers.

Quotes:

Elizabeth: Our sole purpose is to get the band back together.
Gwen: You got a gig?
Patrick: Posters go up next month.
Gwen: What is it?
Elizabeth: Well, it's my granddaughter's school dance.
Gwen: A school dance? I never played school dances even when I was at school.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Unforgettable Joan Sims (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Stardust

Nostalgic Charm

The Blonde Bombshells were an all-British World War II jazz band/big band. It was nearly an all-girl band, too, except for Patrick (Ian Holm), the drummer. Judi Dench, a saxaphonist for the group, wishes to reunite the Blonde Bombshells for a gig at her granddaughter's school dance. The idea is slightly comparable to Penny Marshall's "A League of Their Own," except there is about even focus on both past and present whereas Marshall's film is primarily all flashback.

It is a charming little film with great performances by British (Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Leslie Caron), American (Olympia Dukakis), and Jazz heavyweights (Cleo Laine) who provide that sentimental charm and excellent humor to make this a fine film.