Leigh’s latest film refreshing> ‘Career Girls’ lighter

“CAREER GIRLS” written and directed by Mike Leigh, running time: 87 minutes. Showing Monday at 9:30 p.m. at the Criterion Theater in Bar Harbor and nightly Monday through Thursday at 5:20, 7:10 and 9 p.m. at the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville.

Had Freud or Jung lived to see Mike Leigh’s “Career Girls” on screen, it is likely they would have needed several shots of Stoli to recover from the overwhelming neuroses of the film’s main characters.

This is Leigh’s first outing since his Academy Award-winning “Secrets & Lies,” The film is good, but surprising in that it does not have the undercurrent of Tory bashing apparent in his other works; indeed, “Career Girls” is altogether lighter. Made before the recent Labor victory in England, one wonders whether Leigh had insight to the direction the election would take, because his current film does not so much focus on the plight of England’s working class but on the lives of two white-collar, career-oriented women.

The camera trains on former college roommates Annie (Lynda Steadman) and Hannah (“Naked’s” Katrin Cartlidge), who meet for a weekend in London to patch up their friendship after a six-year separation. Their lives have improved from their chaotic college days, but it gradually becomes clear during the course of their meeting that neither is truly happy with her life.

Annie is the less successful of the two. She is a sweet, kind-hearted woman from northern England who lives with her mother and works in an office.

In a series of flashbacks, we see she was once so shy and so timid, she couldn’t look anyone in the eye — no doubt because she suffered from a horrible case of facial dermatitis. Your heart goes out to her. As an adult, she might seem more settled than she was in her youth, but there is a sadness in her eyes that stays with you long after the film has ended.

Hannah, while not scarred physically, has been scarred emotionally by her alcoholic mother. She is a ferociously angry young woman who mellows into a bitingly sarcastic adult. Her assault on others can be devastating — but also terribly funny.

How, then, could these polar opposites have remained friends? In a revealing scene near the film’s end, it becomes apparent: Annie respects Hannah’s independence, and Hannah admires Annie’s good heart. As Hannah says, if the two could become one, they would make a great woman. But that can never be.

Leigh’s films are unique in that they grow out of improvisation. He doesn’t start with a script. Instead, he has an idea of what territory he wants to cover, and engages his actors in a collaboration that fleshes out the characters. Gradually, a story emerges from the months of improvisation, which Leigh eventually films. This method works because it creates fresh dialogue and, in this case, gives Annie and Hannah such vibrant life. Were it not for the contrived ending in which the women repeatedly and coincidentally bump into friends and lovers from their past, this film would have been among Leigh’s best. Still, you should see it. Grade: B-

Video of the Week

“THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS,” directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Audrey Wells, running time: 97 minutes, rated PG-13 for language and adult content.

“The Truth About Cats and Dogs” is yet another remake of the 17th-century legend of Cyrano de Bergerac, a homely, big-nosed man who sent love letters to the beautiful Roxane through his friend, the handsome — yet intellectually stunted — Christian. Sound familiar? It should. Jose Ferrer won an Academy Award in 1950 for his portrayal of Cyrano, and both Steve Martin and Gerard Depardieu were nominated for their performances in “Roxanne” and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” respectively.

Lehmann’s version breaks from the original in that the “unattractive” character is played by a woman — Janeane Garofalo. Here, Garofalo plays Abby, a veterinarian who gives advice to pet owners through her popular radio talk show. When a caller named Brian (Ben Chaplin) phones in to inquire about his despondent Great Dane, something magical happens in their brief conversation and soon Brian is asking Abby to meet him.

The problem is that Abby doesn’t feel she is pretty, and when Brian asks what she looks like, she has a sudden attack of insecurity. “I’m tall and blond,” she stammers, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Abby is a short, chubby brunette.

But she knows someone who is tall and blond, and that person is Noelle (Uma Thurman), a dim-witted, leggy beauty who seems to be the intellectual equivalent of Paula Jones cross-pollinated with Julia Roberts. The hamster in Noelle’s mind might be running, but the wheel, choked with hair spray, isn’t turning.

Still, Noelle agrees to pretend she is Abby, and the film becomes increasingly complicated as it unfolds — not to mention very funny.

This is a great first date movie. It is sweet and romantic, and gets some big laughs from its talented cast. Garafalo, who almost always is cast in abrasive roles, is allowed to shine here. It’s perfect casting. Her Abby is smart and beautiful, and hints at what might have become of the geeky Dawn Wiener in Todd Solondz’s brutal film, “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” Sometimes, awkward-looking girls blossom into our best women. Abby is one of our best, and her smile at film’s end is truly something to behold. Grade: B

Christopher Smith, a writer and critic who lives in Brewer, reviews movies each Monday in the NEWS.