Take That were a phenomenon in the world of boybands, with a legacy of music that has struck a chord with multiple generations of fans across the globe. To hear that a romantic comedy was being made based on their music, I had very high hopes for what would surely be an easy-win, especially given that the lads themselves were involved in its making. Sadly, ‘Greatest Days’ comes out as a mildly fun but ultimately forgettable film which lets itself down time and again through very avoidable cliches and narrative choices.
It’s the 90s and Lancashire school friends Rachel (Lara McDonnell), Heather (Eliza Dobson), Claire (Carragon Guest), Zoe (Nandi Sawyers-Hudson) and Debbie (Jessie Mae Alonzo) are mad about ‘The Band’, a five-piece boyband who are adored the world over and riding high in the charts. After going to a gig and spending an amazing night revelling in the moment, something happens that ultimately affects the girls and their friendship. Cut to the modern day, and overworked NHS nurse Rachel (Aisling Bea) enters a radio competition to win tickets to see her beloved band play a special gig in Athens. She wins and decides to invite Heather (Alice Lowe), Claire (Jayde Adams) and Zoe (Amaka Okafor) along too, but having been estranged for so many years, can they put aside their emotional baggage to get to the gig on-time?
Having not seen the musical on which this movie is based on, my first disappointment came in the fact that the band are never mentioned in person. Instead of ‘Take That’, the unrecognisable group are just known as ‘The Band’. This was a major letdown I thought, especially given the premise. I understand that this story was conveying the fan experience rather than a direct translation of the band itself, but even with that caveat this was a bizarre way to approach this story. For me it lessens the impact of their music, especially when it’s done in such an average, karaoke way. Take That’s music is iconic, and so is the way that they uniquely performed their songs. I feel ‘Greatest Days’ as a concept completely misses this point by design, and I don’t really understand why.
This film could literally have been made about any boyband – so to have Take That’s music in it just seems counter-intuitive to what this project really should have strived for. The band carry producer credits on the film, and they also cameo in a scene. I thought that this was handled disappointingly too – there was a glaring opportunity to have them in the final scene which would have fitted-in perfectly with the narrative, but instead they are just a busking trio on public transport for a quick glimpse. Another missed opportunity I thought. I believed that their involvement would suggest a greater coloration with their brand being onscreen, but this isn’t the case here. Perhaps they are saving that licensing for their own biopics (which would be a fascinating watch). But by keeping things at arm’s length, I felt ‘Greatest Days’ really missed a key point in its concept.
So with ‘The Band’ reduced to not very memorable musical numbers that aren’t performed particularly well, it’s left to the lead women and girls to do all of the heavy lifting. Both the younger generation and their more mature counterparts do well with the material given to them. Aisling Bea is as brilliant as you’d expect and leads the film very well. Her younger counterpart Lara McDonnell is also an inspired casting call, with the two easily convincing as Rachel at different stages of her life. Jessie Mae Alonzo is solid as Debbie, displaying some nice chemistry with McDonnell that easily convinces us that they are best friends. Elsewhere, Marc Wootton is memorable as Rachel’s long-suffering boyfriend who just wants to marry her.
I absolutely love rom-coms and am willing to give this genre a lot of slack when it comes to storytelling. Despite capturing the friendship element quite well, ‘Greatest Days’ seems like a lazy endeavour that is perfectly happy at just being mediocre. Die-hard TT fans will enjoy it in any case, but I think Take That and their legions of fans deserved much better – as does the legacy of their music. Perhaps a more faithful and engaging project about that might come up in the future. For now, ‘Greatest Days’ is a very light comedy with good performances but questionable creative choices, camera work and tonal shifts. A few tweaks here and there could have really improved this film, but instead it’s a movie that won’t leave a mark. Given the subject matter, I think that’s a pretty unforgivable mistake to make given the magnitude of the band it claims to revere.
Cast: Aisling Bea, Lara McDonnell, Eliza Dobson, Carragon Guest, Nandi Sawyers-Hudson, Jessie Mae Alonzo, Alice Lowe, Jayde Adams, Amaka Okafor, Marc Wootton Director: Coky Giedroyc Writer: Tim Firth Certificate: 12A Duration: 112 mins Released by: Elysian Film Group Distribution Release date: 16th June 2023
