Director: Regan Hall
Starring: Lenora Crichlow, Lily James, Tiana Benjamin, Richie Campbell, Chani Bentsi-Enchill, Lorraine Burroughs, Dominique Tipper, Noel Clarke, Lashana Lynch, Hannah Frankson, Philip Davis
Running time: 90 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Extras: Behind The Scenes, Fast Girls: UK Premiere, Interviews, Trailer
When sitting down to watch a sports movie, it’s highly likely you could accurately predict the plot and the character arcs before you’ve even pressed play. What is vital for films of this type to stand out is simplicity and humanity. FAST GIRLS, nicely timed after the Olympic summer, has both in spades.
Following Shania (Crichlow) as she prepares for the World Athletic Championships, all the staples are present: troubled home life, teaming with a rival Lisa (James), love interest Carl (Bradley James), and a rousing finale where all the pieces fall into place and everyone smiles. What makes FAST GIRLS stand out is Critchlow; as Shania she displays the right level of vulnerability, with a steely core that encourages the audience to relate. The supporting characters all add something different, stereotypes they might be but this matters not when they interact so well.
First time director Regan Hall has done a splendid job capturing the excitement of the race scenes, no easy task given the logistics. He has also made a low-budget brit-flick look a million dollars (well pounds). Jay Basu, Noel Clarke, and Roy Williams have done an excellent job with the script, it isn’t subtle but it sets its stall out, each character is perfectly formed, and feels natural. Given Clarke’s previous output – 4,3,2,1 and ADULTHOOD – it’s pleasing he has wound in his need for profanity and ‘rudeboys’. Well mostly… this is East London after all.
FAST GIRLS fits the moniker feel-good perfectly. It is released at the end of a summer of inspiration, bravery, and some rain. As the nights close in and Seasonal Affective Disorder sets in you could a lot worse than give FAST GIRLS the chance to cheer you up.
Extras: Behind The Scenes correctly looks at the Athletics side primarily, with a look at the costumes thrown in. The Interviews are fun, Noel Clarke comes across as a hideous egotist, but the girls are very pleasant. Trailer, and footage from the UK Premiere don’t add much to the otherwise solid package.
FAST GIRLS is available on Blu-ray and DVD now.
Skywalker
Oct 9, 2012 at 8:31 pm
I got this film yesterday and came across this review today. As an avid special feature watcher I made sure to have a look at all of these. They are not perfect and do not ad lots of value but are fair.
Speaking of fair. Your comment about Clarke coming across as a hideous egotist is no fair at all. Where does he come across like that or indeed say anything that comes across like that at any point on this?
I’m not exactly a fan of his work but I am fair and it seems you are just simply part of the now very apparent witch hunt against him which I find wholeheartedly abhorrent. Even if he has come across as a man with a big ego in the past, he does not at all in this, and that is not really an opinion, it is fact. He honestly does not, so why make that comment.
SW