Rita, Sue and Bob Too: Difference between revisions
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| director = [[Alan Clarke]] |
| director = [[Alan Clarke]] |
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| screenplay = [[Andrea Dunbar]] |
| screenplay = [[Andrea Dunbar]] |
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| based_on = ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' |
| based_on = {{based on|''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and ''The Arbour''|Andrea Dunbar}} |
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| starring = {{plainlist| |
| starring = {{plainlist| |
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* [[Michelle Holmes]] |
* [[Michelle Holmes]] |
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| producer = [[Oscar Lewenstein]] <br /> [[Sanford Lieberson]] |
| producer = [[Oscar Lewenstein]] <br /> [[Sanford Lieberson]] |
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| studio = British Screen<br>Umbrella Entertainment |
| studio = British Screen<br>Umbrella Entertainment |
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| distributor = [[ |
| distributor = [[Film4 Productions|Film Four International]] |
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| music = [[Michael Kamen]] |
| music = [[Michael Kamen]] |
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| cinematography = Ivan Strasburg |
| cinematography = Ivan Strasburg |
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| runtime = 89 minutes |
| runtime = 89 minutes |
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| language = English |
| language = English |
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| budget = £993,000<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=28|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing|website=British Film Institute|date=2005}}</ref> |
| budget = £993,000<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=28|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing|website=British Film Institute|date=2005|access-date=29 November 2020|archive-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912042419/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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}} |
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'''''Rita, Sue and Bob Too''''' is a 1987 British [[comedy-drama]] film directed by [[Alan Clarke]], |
'''''Rita, Sue and Bob Too''''' is a 1987 British [[comedy-drama]] film directed by [[Alan Clarke]] and starring [[Michelle Holmes]], [[Siobhan Finneran]], [[George Costigan]], and [[Lesley Sharp]]. Set in [[Bradford]], [[West Yorkshire]], the film is about two teenage schoolgirls who have a [[sexual affair]] with and are [[seduced]] by a married man.<ref name="theguardian/cancelling-Rita">{{cite news |last1=Barnett |first1=David |date=14 December 2017 |title=Why the Royal Court cancelling Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a grim joke |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/14/royal-court-rita-sue-bob-too-andrea-dunbar-theatre-max-stafford-clark |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> It was written by [[Andrea Dunbar]], who adapted the film from two of her stage plays: ''Rita Sue and Bob Too'' (1982) and ''The Arbour'' (1980),<ref name="Allen">{{cite news |author=Allen |first=Liam |date=22 October 2010 |title=The Arbor: In the footsteps of Rita, Sue and Bob |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11581747 |access-date=16 November 2012 |work=BBC News}}</ref> which were first performed at the [[Royal Court Theatre]] in London. The plays were loosely based on Dunbar's experiences growing up in the council housing at [[Buttershaw]].<ref name="theguardian/how-we-made">{{cite news |last1=Hoad |first1=Phil |date=26 June 2017 |title=How we made Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jun/26/how-we-made-rita-sue-and-bob-too-max-stafford-clark-george-costigan |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> |
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The [[Tagline|strapline]] of the film was "[[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]]'s Britain with her knickers down."<ref name="Allen" /> It received a divisive reaction at the time of its release, but over time the film has become a [[Cult following|cult hit]] for its depiction of [[Social class in the United Kingdom#Working class|working class]] life in Britain during the 1980s. In 2017, ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' was given a digital restoration by the [[British Film Institute]]. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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<!--- PLOTS ARE GENERALLY 400-700 WORDS; CURRENT COUNT: 691--> |
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{{longplot|date=June 2024}} |
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Rita and Sue are two teenage girls in their [[ |
Rita and Sue are two teenage girls in their [[Year 11#England|final year of school]] who live on a run-down [[council estate]] in [[Bradford]], [[West Yorkshire]]. They babysit for Bob and Michelle, a [[Social class in the United Kingdom#Middle class|middle class]] couple who live in a nicer part of town. One night while driving the girls home, Bob takes them to the [[Yorkshire moors]] where he complains to them about the lack of intimacy in his marriage. He then proposes to have sex with both girls. They happily agree, and an affair between the three of them begins. |
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Sue has a part-time job at a local taxi firm, ''Luna Radio Kars'', and meets Aslam, a Pakistani boy who drives for the firm. He and another driver make a £5 bet on who can get her into bed first, but Sue rebuffs them. At school, Bob shows up at Rita and Sue's PE tennis class to take them for sex. Rita manages to get permission from the teacher to use the toilet (a ruse to see Bob) but Sue is denied and told to get back to the class. Bob takes Rita to a [[show house]] on a newly built housing development to have sex. |
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Later, Michelle finds a packet of [[Durex]] condoms in Bob's trousers whilst ironing them and they argue. During the argument, it is revealed that Michelle [[Sexual repression|does not like sex]], which frustrates Bob. It also turns out that Bob previously had an affair, discovered when Michelle found another woman's bracelet in their bed; the other woman had also been their babysitter. Michelle goes upstairs to get ready for their planned night out, just as Rita and Sue arrive as they are again babysitting. Bob warns the girls that Michelle is suspicious and will ask them questions, but they convince Michelle that Bob is not sleeping with either of them. |
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After their night out, Bob and Michelle start arguing again, this time in front of Rita and Sue, who desperately try not to laugh. Michelle snaps at the girls, then storms off to bed. Rita and Sue make their own way home, unhappy that Bob cannot take them in his car and have sex with them again. That night, Michelle decides to let Bob have sex with her to stop him going off with other women, but it goes badly. |
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Michelle begins to suspect her husband is having an affair due to his past infidelity and finding a packet of [[Durex]] condoms in his trousers. Bob denies having relations with either Sue or Rita, and the girls also try to assuage her suspicions. Later, Rita and Sue meet Bob again for sex, but he cannot get an erection, embarrassing himself and leaving Rita and Sue unsatisfied. He takes them out to a club where Michelle's friend, Mavis, spots Bob with the girls. Bob warns the girls that Mavis will surely tell Michelle that she saw them together. |
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The next day, Mavis rushes |
The next day, Mavis rushes to tell Michelle as expected, and Michelle gets Mavis to drive her to Rita's house. Michelle drags Rita out of her house and brings her along to confront Sue at her flat. Bob arrives at Sue's place at the same time, and an argument erupts between Michelle, Bob, Rita, Sue, and Sue's parents, causing a scene in front of all the neighbours. After everybody blames each other and Bob and Sue's drunken father almost come to blows, Rita's brothers come to rescue her on their motorbikes. Humiliated, Michelle goes home, angrily ransacks the house, and then leaves Bob for good, taking the children with her. |
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The next day, |
The next day, Rita informs Sue that although they only have two remaining weeks of school, she is dropping out because she is pregnant with Bob's child. She admits to having seen Bob a few times without Sue, and says she is moving in with him now that Michelle has left him. When Bob arrives to collect Rita, Sue is enraged and tells them both to get lost. |
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Sue starts dating Aslam |
To get over Bob, Sue starts dating Aslam, a Pakistani boy who is a driver for the local taxi firm she works at. Their budding relationship is hampered by Sue's father, who comes home from the pub drunk and shouts racist abuse at Aslam. After this incident, Sue leaves her home to move in with Aslam and his sister. |
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Sue later finds out that Rita has suffered a [[miscarriage]] and goes to visit her in hospital. On the way out, Bob invites Sue for another sexual escapade, but she rebuffs him. He still gives Sue a lift home, but Aslam sees her getting out of Bob's car and threatens her, as he thinks that she was out having sex with Bob. |
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While Bob and Rita are about to have sex at their house, Bob accidentally calls out Sue's name. This infuriates Rita, who assumes Bob is now seeing Sue behind her back. She storms out of the house and goes to confront Sue. When Rita tells Aslam of her suspicions, Aslam violently attacks Sue. Despite everything, Rita comes to Sue's defence and kicks Aslam in the knee. Sue then kicks him in his groin, before they both make a hasty escape. They go to Bob's house, where Rita tends to Sue's wounds, but Aslam shows up at the front door. They refuse to let him in, but Aslam tries to find a way to break in, all the while trying to convince Sue to come back to him. The situation is interrupted by the arrival of the police, having been called by a neighbour. Aslam then runs off, with the police in pursuit. |
While Bob and Rita are about to have sex at their house, Bob accidentally calls out Sue's name. This infuriates Rita, who assumes Bob is now seeing Sue behind her back. She storms out of the house and goes to confront Sue. When Rita tells Aslam of her suspicions, Aslam violently attacks Sue. Despite everything, Rita comes to Sue's defence and kicks Aslam in the knee. Sue then kicks him in his groin, before they both make a hasty escape. They go to Bob's house, where Rita tends to Sue's wounds, but Aslam shows up at the front door. They refuse to let him in, but Aslam tries to find a way to break in, all the while trying to convince Sue to come back to him. The situation is interrupted by the arrival of the police, having been called by a neighbour. Aslam then runs off, with the police in pursuit. |
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'''Film-only "Happy Ending"''' |
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⚫ | When Bob returns home, Rita tells him that she is letting Sue move in with them, regardless of Bob's wishes. The two girls then go upstairs, leaving Bob feeling |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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{{cast listing| |
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* [[Siobhan Finneran]] as Rita |
* [[Siobhan Finneran]] as Rita |
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* [[Michelle Holmes]] as Sue |
* [[Michelle Holmes]] as Sue |
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* [[Lesley Sharp]] as Michelle |
* [[Lesley Sharp]] as Michelle |
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* [[Kulvinder Ghir]] as Aslam |
* [[Kulvinder Ghir]] as Aslam |
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* Willie Ross as Sue's father<ref name="bfidatadigipres/RSaBt">{{cite web |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/northern%20voices/2023/04/16/rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |website=[[BFI Southbank]] Programme Notes |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=21 July 2024}}</ref> |
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* Willie Ross and Patti Nichols as Sue's parents |
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* Patti Nichols as Sue's mother<ref name="bfidatadigipres/RSaBt"/> |
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* [[Danny O'Dea]] as Paddy |
* [[Danny O'Dea]] as Paddy |
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* Maureen Long as Rita's mother |
* Maureen Long as Rita's mother |
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* Paul Hedges as Hosepipe Harry |
* Paul Hedges as Hosepipe Harry |
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* Kailash Patel as Aslam's Sister |
* Kailash Patel as Aslam's Sister |
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}} |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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===Background=== |
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<blockquote>"Rita, Sue and Bob Too, in which a married man lures his teenage babysitters into a casual love triangle, was partly inspired by her (Andrea Dunbar) own life and partly by two raucous girls she overheard in the ladies' toilet at [[Keighley#Keighley Market|Keighley Market]]."<ref name="bbc/48348751">{{cite news |title=Andrea Dunbar: The teenage Bradford 'genius' who told it like it was |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48348751 |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=28 May 2019}}</ref></blockquote> |
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Playwright and screenwriter Andrea Dunbar based the story partly on her own life and on "two raucous girls she overheard in the ladies' toilet at [[Keighley#Keighley Market|Keighley Market]]".<ref name="bbc/48348751">{{cite news |title=Andrea Dunbar: The teenage Bradford 'genius' who told it like it was |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48348751 |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=28 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="Controversy">{{Cite news |last=Barnett |first=David |date=19 May 2017 |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too: 'A journalist asked us why we'd made this? He said it couldn't possibly be real, that nobody lived their lives like that' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/rita-sue-and-bob-too-a7740531.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519083834/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/rita-sue-and-bob-too-a7740531.html |archive-date=2017-05-19 |access-date=6 August 2024 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> |
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===Filming locations=== |
===Filming locations=== |
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⚫ | Film locations in West Yorkshire included Buttershaw,<ref name="bfi/RSBT-locations">{{cite web |date=9 May 2017 |title=How Bradford has changed in the 30 years since Alan Clarke shot Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/rita-sue-bob-too-alan-clarke-bradford-locations |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> where scenes of Rita's house,<!-- 53°45'54.5"N 1°48'07.8"W https://archive.today/20240720094653/https://www.google.com/maps/@53.7651667,-1.8020534,3a,15y,311h,80.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSiBe52XFol3E04PLcFhSeA!2e0!6shttps://streetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com/v1/thumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DSiBe52XFol3E04PLcFhSeA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D311%26pitch%3D9.680000000000007%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu 1 Brafferton Arbor (demolished), Churn Drive, Bradford, West Yorkshire --> Sue's flat, <!-- Westonby House (demolished), The Boulevard<ref name="alamy/boulevard buttershaw">{{cite web |title=The boulevard buttershaw bradford west yorkshire uk |url=https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/The-Boulevard-Buttershaw-Bradford-West-Yorkshire-UK.html |website=[[Alamy]] |access-date=20 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref> (now Westonby House (demolished) |
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[[File:The Beacon - Reevy Road West (geograph 2833630).jpg|thumb|''The Beacon'' pub, Reevy Road West, [[Buttershaw]], March 2012<ref name="flickr/3462605720">{{cite web |author1=James W Bell (Good Honest Iago) - Leeds |title=Buttershaw Babes (Beacon Pub) Bradford |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bell/3462605720 |website=[[flickr]] |access-date=19 July 2024 |date=20 April 2009}}<!-- |
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The Boulevard (now Ridings Way), Bradford, West Yorkshiree --> the girls' school, and The Beacon pub on Reevy Road West from the very first scene were all shot.<ref name="reelstreets/RSBT">{{cite web |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too! |url=https://www.reelstreets.com/films/rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801202123/https://www.reelstreets.com/films/rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |archive-date=1 August 2019 |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=Reelstreets}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Where was 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' filmed? |url=http://www.british-film-locations.com/Rita-Sue-and-Bob-Too-1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122416/https://www.british-film-locations.com/Rita-Sue-and-Bob-Too-1987 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |access-date=30 May 2017 |website=British Film Locations}}</ref> All of these buildings have now been demolished.<ref name="bfi/RSBT-locations" />[[File:The Beacon - Reevy Road West (geograph 2833630).jpg|thumb|''The Beacon'' pub, Reevy Road West, [[Buttershaw]], March 2012<ref name="flickr/3462605720">{{cite web |author1=Bell, James W (Good Honest Iago) - Leeds |date=20 April 2009 |title=Buttershaw Babes (Beacon Pub) Bradford |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesw-bell/3462605720 |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=[[flickr]]}}<!-- |
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--></ref><ref name="thisisbradford/174311">{{cite news |title=No hard feelings, Andrea |url=https://archive.thisisbradford.co.uk/1998/6/15/174311.html |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[Telegraph & Argus]] |publisher=[[Newsquest Media Group]] |date=15 June 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009075854/https://archive.thisisbradford.co.uk/1998/6/15/174311.html |archive-date=9 October 2007}}</ref>]] |
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Other locations included [[Baildon#Baildon Moor|Baildon Moor]] (Moorland scenes) and 5 Bramham Drive in [[Baildon]] (Bob's house); Alexandra Street (Aslam's house) and Leeds Road in [[Bradford]] (Sue's workplace Luna Radio Kars); [[Haworth]] (the school trip to the [[Brontë Parsonage Museum|Brontë Parsonage]]);<ref name="reelstreets/RSBT" /> Woodhead Road in Bradford;<ref name="bfi/RSBT-locations" /> and the Staveley Garages in [[Shipley, West Yorkshire|Shipley]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacob |first=Liana |date=10 November 2022 |title=27 comedy movies filmed in Yorkshire and the plots behind them including The Festival and Full Monty |url=https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/27-comedy-movies-filmed-in-yorkshire-and-the-plots-behind-them-including-the-festival-and-full-monty-3913657 |access-date=6 August 2024 |work=[[The Scarborough News]]}}</ref> |
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Some of the filming locations<ref name="reelstreets/RSBT">{{cite web |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too! |url=https://www.reelstreets.com/films/rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |website=Reelstreets |access-date=20 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801202123/https://www.reelstreets.com/films/rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |archive-date=1 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="bfi/RSBT-locations">{{cite web |title=How Bradford has changed in the 30 years since Alan Clarke shot Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/rita-sue-bob-too-alan-clarke-bradford-locations |website=British Film Institute |access-date=20 July 2024 |language=en |date=9 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Where was 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' filmed?|url=http://www.british-film-locations.com/Rita-Sue-and-Bob-Too-1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122416/https://www.british-film-locations.com/Rita-Sue-and-Bob-Too-1987 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |website=British Film Locations|access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref> around West Yorkshire include: |
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The Boulevard (now Ridings Way), |
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Bradford, |
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West Yorkshire e --> the school; The Beacon pub on Reevy Road West from the very first scene.<ref name="flickr/10912537924">{{cite web |author1=leicester-vehicle-photography |title=LAZENBY HOUSE - BUTTERSHAW ESTATE - BRADFORD WEST YORKSHIRE |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/leicester-vehicle-photography/10912537924/in/photostream/ |access-date=20 July 2024 |date=1987}}</ref> |
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::All of these have now been demolished. |
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* [[Baildon]] – Bob's house (5 Bramham Drive); Moorland scenes ([[Baildon#Baildon Moor|Baildon Moor]]). |
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* [[Bradford]] – Aslam's house (Alexandra Street); Luna Radio Kars<ref name="flickr/10912431005">{{cite web |author1=leicester-vehicle-photography |title=1987 - LUNA KARS - 493 LEEDS ROAD BRADFORD |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/leicester-vehicle-photography/10912431005 |access-date=19 July 2024 |date=1 January 1987}}</ref> (Leeds Road). |
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* [[Haworth]] – the school trip to the [[Brontë Parsonage Museum|Brontë Parsonage]]. |
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* Woodhead Road recreation ground, between Legrams Lane and Great Horton Road. |
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* Staveley Garages in [[Shipley, West Yorkshire|Shipley]]. |
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==Marketing== |
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⚫ | ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' premiered to a divided response and controversy in its native country. Some Bradford residents felt offended by the film and thought it portrayed the area in a negative light.<ref name="Controversy" /><ref name="telegraph/thatchers-knickers" /><ref name="snapshot">{{Cite news |date=2017-05-29 |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too: A snapshot of 1980s Britain |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-39973767 |access-date=2024-08-06 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', film critic [[Derek Malcolm]] gave the film a mostly positive review, stating that "Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes play the girls with the kind of authenticity that precludes glamour in favour of guts and garters...".<ref name=":2" /> He also praised director Alan Clarke's ability to "energise the whole thing with ace professionalism, just occasionally seeing the funny side of what is essentially a sad story...".<ref name=":2" /> He goes on to say that the film avoids sentimentality but lacks something; "[the film] wipes the comfort from the face of a lot of dimly perceived and sloppy notions, but it replaces those notions with nothing."<ref name=":2">{{cite news |author=Malcolm |first=Derek |author-link=Derek Malcolm |date=3 September 1987 |title=Boy's own photo album (film reviews) |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> |
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The filmed female characters' (15 and 15) hair styles are [[Mullet (haircut)|mullets]], the poster show the actresses in other hair styles and costumes, looking much older (20 and 21), while the male character (40), in the poster, is shown to be younger.<ref name="virtual-history/24907">{{cite web |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too! (1987) |url=https://www.virtual-history.com/movie/film/24907/rita-sue-and-bob-too |website=Virtual History |access-date=19 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="cede/15953292">{{cite web |title=Rita, Sue and Bob too (1987) (DualDisc, Blu-ray + DVD) |url=https://www.cede.ch/en/movies/?aid=15953292 |website=cede.ch |access-date=19 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="gettyimages/rita-sue-bob">{{cite web |title=Rita Sue Bob Too |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/rita-sue-bob-too |website=[[Getty Images]]}}</ref> |
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American media was largely positive.<ref>{{cite news |date= 17 July 1987 |first= Janet |last=Maslin |author-link= Janet Maslin |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/17/movies/film-togetherness-in-rita-sue-and-bob-too.html |title= Film: Togetherness in 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' |newspaper= [[New York Times]] |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Benson |first=Sheila |author-link=Sheila Benson |date=20 January 2011 |title=Movie Review : Love's Got Nothing To Do With 'Rita, Sue & Bob' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-12-ca-343-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427115939/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-12-ca-343-story.html |archive-date=2023-04-27 |access-date=16 November 2012 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref name="Benson">{{cite news |last=Benson |first=Sheila |date=9 August 1987 |title=3 Savage Commentaries on the British Scene |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-09-ca-15-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208044011/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-09/entertainment/ca-15_1_british-film |archive-date=2015-12-08 |access-date=16 November 2012 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref name="ChiTrib">{{cite news |last=Kehr |first=Dave |date=2 October 1987 |title='Rita' Captures The Spirit of England's Other Side |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/10/02/rita-captures-the-spirit-of-englands-other-side/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407012040/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-10-02-8703140700-story.html |archive-date=2022-04-07 |access-date=16 November 2012 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it 3 out of 4 stars, and having watched it twice noted that some audiences were uneasy at its mixed tone, which he described as "angry", "sometimes depressing", and "more interested in human nature than in selling lots of tickets with lots of sex."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite news |date= 2 October 1987 |first= Roger |last=Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Rita, Sue & Bob, Too |work= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rita-sue-andamp-bob-too-1987 |access-date= 4 April 2020 }}</ref> He wrote, "The movie challenges us to disapprove of the conditions that produced Rita and Sue, rather than to take a safe, superficial stand against that rascal Bob, but here I am lecturing, and the curious thing about ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' is that it does not lecture and contains no speeches".<ref name="telegraph/thatchers-knickers">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |date=19 May 2017 |title='Thatcher's Britain with her knickers down': why the snobs were wrong about Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/thatchers-britain-knickers-snobs-wrong-rita-sue-bob/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220601183555/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/thatchers-britain-knickers-snobs-wrong-rita-sue-bob/ |archive-date=1 June 2022 |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> [[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] called the film "a sad-funny comedy about sex and life in the Yorkshire city of Bradford".<ref name="variety/1200427135">{{cite news |date=1 January 1987 |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1200427135/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=Variety}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'}}s [[Hal Hinson]], however, expressed that the film needed to further examine the predatory nature of Bob's actions.<ref name="Hinson">{{cite news |last=Hinson |first=Hal |author-link=Hal Hinson |date=22 August 1987 |title='Rita, Sue and Bob, Too' (R) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/ritasueandbobtoorhinson_a0c93c.htm |access-date=16 November 2012 |newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref> |
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==Yorkshire Expressions== |
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*[[:wiktionary:owt|owt]] |
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*[[:wiktionary:now|nowt]] |
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Screenwriter Andrea Dunbar disliked Alan Clarke's film adaptation, which changed the original ending in her play to be more upbeat, criticising: "You'd never go back with somebody who had betrayed you".<ref name="theguardian/how-we-made" /> |
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⚫ | |||
<blockquote>"In the play, Rita winds up having a baby and marrying Bob. Her friendship with Sue falls apart, though she names her daughter after her. At the very end, Sue’s mother and Bob’s ex wife come together in solidarity, the former declaring: “All fellas do the dirty on you sometime or other. Only let them come on your conditions and stick to them. Don’t let them mess you around.” But the film ends differently – with a kind of punch line, though it is unclear whom the joke’s on. In the final scene, Bob literally jumps back into bed with both Rita and Sue."<ref name="anothergaze/rewriting-dunbar">{{cite web |last1=Coatman |first1=Anna |date=29 August 2018 |title="My View Not Their View": The Rewriting of Andrea Dunbar's Story |url=https://www.anothergaze.com/view-not-view-rewriting-andrea-dunbars-story-sexism-classism/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=Another Gaze: A Feminist Film Journal}}</ref></blockquote>Nonetheless, the success of the film revived Dunbar's plays.<ref name="theguardian/how-we-made" /> The film has also amassed a cult following for its unblinking look at the working class in northern England, as well as for its 1980s style and fashions.<ref name="Controversy" /><ref name="snapshot" /> ''Film Inquiry'' said "it contains no real plot, to speak of, essentially riding the beats of any story that deals with extra-marital affairs. But it is in the treatment of the people it follows that the film scores a hat trick."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watt |first1=Chris |date=30 May 2017 |title=RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO At 30: Strange Bedfellows In '80s Britain |url=https://www.filminquiry.com/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-review/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=Film Inquiry |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="cinephilia.net.au/4935">{{cite web |last1=Hemingway |first1=Bernard |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too! movie review |url=https://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=4935 |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=cinephilia.net.au}}</ref> ''[[Starburst Magazine]]'' said that "At it's ''[sic]'' heart, though, there is a refreshingly frank and honest, not to mention amusingly real representation of how awkward and believable the reality of sexual experiences can be..."<ref name="starburst/blu-ray">{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=John |title=Rita, Sue And Bob Too |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/blu-ray-review-rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[Starburst Magazine]] |date=2017-10-24}}</ref> |
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Andrea Dunbar, who wrote the screenplay, hated Alan Clarke's film adaptation, who cannily gave it an upbeat ending, criticising: "You'd never go back with somebody who had betrayed you".<ref name="theguardian/how-we-made"/> The film, "a bit ''[[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]] Up the Council Estate''", was successful, reviving the play.<ref name="theguardian/how-we-made"/> |
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⚫ | ''[[The Film Magazine]]'' wrote of the film in 2020: "Mostly it's the humour that keeps ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' from becoming sordid – the sex in the film truly is the least sexy sex of all time. In one scene, Rita shouts 'It's like a frozen sausage' and complains that she’s bored. Although clearly morally wrong, the humour passes off the issue of a (supposedly) 26 year old married man sleeping with two 15 year old school children as something that just seems to happen for children of such backgrounds, the comedy pierced by a sadness that haunts the film for its entire runtime."<ref name="TFM/rsabt-1987-review">{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Annice |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) Movie Review - Working Class Yorkshire Classic |url=https://www.thefilmagazine.com/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-andreadunbar-movie-review/ |website=[[The Film Magazine]] |access-date=19 July 2024 |date=20 April 2020}}</ref> In 2024, Kate Muir of ''[[The Times]]'' called the film "a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy...[with a] mostly unspoken layer of social commentary".<ref name="thetimes/dhcln3n3g">{{cite news |last1=Muir |first1=Kate |date=19 July 2024 |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-dhcln3n3g |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |language=en |quote=As a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy, mostly of the sexual sort, it remains groundbreaking, but the setting in Bradford’s decrepit Buttershaw council estate adds a significant, if mostly unspoken layer of social commentary. Rita and Sue are raunchy, cheeky, unstoppable schoolgirls, played with relish by Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes.}}</ref> |
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<blockquote>"In the play, Rita winds up having a baby and marrying Bob. Her friendship with Sue falls apart, though she names her daughter after her. At the very end, Sue’s mother and Bob’s ex wife come together in solidarity, the former declaring: “All fellas do the dirty on you sometime or other. Only let them come on your conditions and stick to them. Don’t let them mess you around.” But the film ends differently – with a kind of punch line, though it is unclear whom the joke’s on. In the final scene, Bob literally jumps back into bed with both Rita and Sue."<ref name="anothergaze/rewriting-dunbar">{{cite web |last1=Coatman |first1=Anna |title=“My View Not Their View”: The Rewriting of Andrea Dunbar’s Story |url=https://www.anothergaze.com/view-not-view-rewriting-andrea-dunbars-story-sexism-classism/ |website=Another Gaze: A Feminist Film Journal |access-date=19 July 2024 |date=29 August 2018}}</ref></blockquote> |
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⚫ | Writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', film critic [[Derek Malcolm]] gave the film a mostly positive review, |
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The film gained a mostly positive reception from critics in the US.<ref>{{cite news |date= 17 July 1987 |author= Janet Maslin |author-link= Janet Maslin |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/17/movies/film-togetherness-in-rita-sue-and-bob-too.html |title= Film: Togetherness in 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' |newspaper= [[New York Times]] |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= Sheila Benson |url= http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-12/entertainment/ca-343_1_sue |title= Movie Review : Love's Got Nothing To Do With 'Rita, Sue & Bob' |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= 20 January 2011 |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= Sheila Benson |url= http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-09/entertainment/ca-15_1_british-film |title= 3 Savage Commentaries on the British Scene |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= 9 August 1987 |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/ritasueandbobtoorhinson_a0c93c.htm |title= 'Rita, Sue and Bob, Too' (R) |newspaper= [[Washington Post]] |date= 22 August 1987 |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= Dave Kehr |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-10-02/entertainment/8703140700_1_siobhan-finneran-moors-rita |title= 'Rita' Captures The Spirit of England's Other Side |newspaper= [[Chicago Tribune]] |date= 2 October 1987 |access-date= 16 November 2012 }}</ref> |
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[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it 3 out of 4 stars, and having watched it twice noted that some audiences were uneasy at its mixed tone, calling it "angry", "sometimes depressing", and "more interested in human nature than in selling lots of tickets with lots of sex."<ref>{{cite news |date= 2 October 1987 |author= Roger Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Rita, Sue & Bob, Too |publisher= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rita-sue-andamp-bob-too-1987 |access-date= 4 April 2020 }}</ref> "The movie challenges us to disapprove of the conditions that produced Rita and Sue, rather than to take a safe, superficial stand against that rascal Bob, but here I am lecturing, and the curious thing about ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' is that it does not lecture and contains no speeches".<ref name="telegraph/thatchers-knickers">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |title='Thatcher's Britain with her knickers down': why the snobs were wrong about Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/thatchers-britain-knickers-snobs-wrong-rita-sue-bob/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[The Telegraph]] |date=19 May 2017}}</ref> |
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[[The Times]] (July 2024): "...a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy...mostly unspoken layer of social commentary..."<ref name="thetimes/dhcln3n3g">{{cite news |last1=Muir |first1=Kate |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-dhcln3n3g |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=19 July 2024 |language=en |quote=As a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy, mostly of the sexual sort, it remains groundbreaking, but the setting in Bradford’s decrepit Buttershaw council estate adds a significant, if mostly unspoken layer of social commentary. Rita and Sue are raunchy, cheeky, unstoppable schoolgirls, played with relish by Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes.}}</ref> |
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''Film Inquiry'' (May 2017): "It contains no real plot, to speak of, essentially riding the beats of any story that deals with extra-marital affairs. But it is in the treatment of the people it follows that the film scores a hat trick."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watt |first1=Chris |title=RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO At 30: Strange Bedfellows In '80s Britain |url=https://www.filminquiry.com/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1987-review/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[Film Inquiry]] |date=30 May 2017 |language=en-us}}</ref> |
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''Cinephilia'' (?): "At it’s heart, though, there is a refreshingly frank and honest, not to mention amusingly real representation of how awkward and believable the reality of sexual experiences can be, although you sense these two girls are more savvy about their knowledge than at first glance."<ref name="cinephilia.net.au/4935">{{cite web |last1=Hemingway |first1=Bernard |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too! movie review |url=https://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=4935 |website=cinephilia.net.au |access-date=19 July 2024}}</ref> |
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[[Variety (magazine)|''Variety'']] (January 1987): "a sad-funny comedy about sex and life in the Yorkshire city of Bradford"<ref name="variety/1200427135">{{cite news |title=Rita, Sue and Bob Too |url=https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/rita-sue-and-bob-too-1200427135/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=Variety |date=1 January 1987}}</ref> |
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[[Starburst Magazine]] (October 2017): "At it's heart, though, there is a refreshingly frank and honest, not to mention amusingly real representation of how awkward and believable the reality of sexual experiences can be, although you sense these two girls are more savvy about their knowledge than at first glance."<ref name="starburst/blu-ray">{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=John |title=Rita, Sue And Bob Too |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/blu-ray-review-rita-sue-and-bob-too/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[Starburst Magazine]] |date=2017-10-24}}</ref> |
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⚫ | [[The Film Magazine]] |
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==Adaptations== |
==Adaptations== |
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Since 2017, until at least 2019, the ''Out Of Joint'' theatre company have been on tour with a production of the play.<ref name="salfordnow/rita-sue-lowry">{{cite news |last1=Metcalfe |first1=Callum |title=Exclusive: Susan Mitchell on |
Since 2017, until at least 2019, the ''Out Of Joint'' theatre company have been on tour with a production of the play.<ref name="salfordnow/rita-sue-lowry">{{cite news |last1=Metcalfe |first1=Callum |date=8 April 2019 |title=Exclusive: Susan Mitchell on 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' at The Lowry |url=https://www.salfordnow.co.uk/2019/04/08/exclusive-susan-mitchell-on-rita-sue-and-bob-too-at-the-lowry/ |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=Salford Now}}</ref> |
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In June 2019, ''Rita, Sue and Andrea Too'' was adapted for [[BBC Radio 4]].<ref name="thetimes/f6jnhs9s8">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Clive |title=Rita, Sue and Andrea Too review — a reminder of working-class |
In June 2019, ''Rita, Sue and Andrea Too'' was adapted for [[BBC Radio 4]].<ref name="thetimes/f6jnhs9s8">{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Clive |title=Rita, Sue and Andrea Too review — a reminder of working-class writers' struggle |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/rita-sue-and-andrea-too-review-a-reminder-of-working-class-writers-struggle-f6jnhs9s8 |access-date=19 July 2024 |work=[[thetimes.com]] |date=19 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{AllMovie title|41523}} |
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* {{Rotten-tomatoes|rita_sue_and_bob_too}} |
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|rita_sue_and_bob_too}} |
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* {{Mojo title|ritasueandbobtoo}} |
* {{Mojo title|ritasueandbobtoo}} |
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* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/439435/synopsis.html |
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/439435/synopsis.html Rita, Sue And Bob Too] [[plot summary]] ''[[Screenonline|Screen Online]]'' ([[British Film Institute]]) |
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Ebm541gSk ''Rita, Sue And Bob Too'' original 1987 trailer] from [[British Film Institute]] via [[YouTube]] |
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdw7TZXUcj0 The making of ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too''] from [[British Film Institute]] via [[YouTube]] |
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{{Alan Clarke}} |
{{Alan Clarke}} |
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[[Category:1987 comedy-drama films]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:59, 22 December 2024
Rita, Sue and Bob Too | |
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Directed by | Alan Clarke |
Screenplay by | Andrea Dunbar |
Based on | Rita, Sue and Bob Too and The Arbour by Andrea Dunbar |
Produced by | Oscar Lewenstein Sanford Lieberson |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ivan Strasburg |
Edited by | Steve Singleton |
Music by | Michael Kamen |
Production companies | British Screen Umbrella Entertainment |
Distributed by | Film Four International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | £993,000[1] |
Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a 1987 British comedy-drama film directed by Alan Clarke and starring Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan, and Lesley Sharp. Set in Bradford, West Yorkshire, the film is about two teenage schoolgirls who have a sexual affair with and are seduced by a married man.[2] It was written by Andrea Dunbar, who adapted the film from two of her stage plays: Rita Sue and Bob Too (1982) and The Arbour (1980),[3] which were first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The plays were loosely based on Dunbar's experiences growing up in the council housing at Buttershaw.[4]
The strapline of the film was "Thatcher's Britain with her knickers down."[3] It received a divisive reaction at the time of its release, but over time the film has become a cult hit for its depiction of working class life in Britain during the 1980s. In 2017, Rita, Sue and Bob Too was given a digital restoration by the British Film Institute.
Plot
[edit]Rita and Sue are two teenage girls in their final year of school who live on a run-down council estate in Bradford, West Yorkshire. They babysit for Bob and Michelle, a middle class couple who live in a nicer part of town. One night while driving the girls home, Bob takes them to the Yorkshire moors where he complains to them about the lack of intimacy in his marriage. He then proposes to have sex with both girls. They happily agree, and an affair between the three of them begins.
Michelle begins to suspect her husband is having an affair due to his past infidelity and finding a packet of Durex condoms in his trousers. Bob denies having relations with either Sue or Rita, and the girls also try to assuage her suspicions. Later, Rita and Sue meet Bob again for sex, but he cannot get an erection, embarrassing himself and leaving Rita and Sue unsatisfied. He takes them out to a club where Michelle's friend, Mavis, spots Bob with the girls. Bob warns the girls that Mavis will surely tell Michelle that she saw them together.
The next day, Mavis rushes to tell Michelle as expected, and Michelle gets Mavis to drive her to Rita's house. Michelle drags Rita out of her house and brings her along to confront Sue at her flat. Bob arrives at Sue's place at the same time, and an argument erupts between Michelle, Bob, Rita, Sue, and Sue's parents, causing a scene in front of all the neighbours. After everybody blames each other and Bob and Sue's drunken father almost come to blows, Rita's brothers come to rescue her on their motorbikes. Humiliated, Michelle goes home, angrily ransacks the house, and then leaves Bob for good, taking the children with her.
The next day, Rita informs Sue that although they only have two remaining weeks of school, she is dropping out because she is pregnant with Bob's child. She admits to having seen Bob a few times without Sue, and says she is moving in with him now that Michelle has left him. When Bob arrives to collect Rita, Sue is enraged and tells them both to get lost.
To get over Bob, Sue starts dating Aslam, a Pakistani boy who is a driver for the local taxi firm she works at. Their budding relationship is hampered by Sue's father, who comes home from the pub drunk and shouts racist abuse at Aslam. After this incident, Sue leaves her home to move in with Aslam and his sister.
Sue later finds out that Rita has suffered a miscarriage and goes to visit her in hospital. On the way out, Bob invites Sue for another sexual escapade, but she rebuffs him. He still gives Sue a lift home, but Aslam sees her getting out of Bob's car and threatens her, as he thinks that she was out having sex with Bob.
While Bob and Rita are about to have sex at their house, Bob accidentally calls out Sue's name. This infuriates Rita, who assumes Bob is now seeing Sue behind her back. She storms out of the house and goes to confront Sue. When Rita tells Aslam of her suspicions, Aslam violently attacks Sue. Despite everything, Rita comes to Sue's defence and kicks Aslam in the knee. Sue then kicks him in his groin, before they both make a hasty escape. They go to Bob's house, where Rita tends to Sue's wounds, but Aslam shows up at the front door. They refuse to let him in, but Aslam tries to find a way to break in, all the while trying to convince Sue to come back to him. The situation is interrupted by the arrival of the police, having been called by a neighbour. Aslam then runs off, with the police in pursuit.
When Bob returns home, Rita tells him that she is letting Sue move in with them, regardless of Bob's wishes. The two girls then go upstairs, leaving Bob feeling unwanted. However, when Bob goes upstairs into the bedroom, he finds both girls waiting for him in bed, and he dives in to join them.
Cast
[edit]- Siobhan Finneran as Rita
- Michelle Holmes as Sue
- George Costigan as Bob
- Lesley Sharp as Michelle
- Kulvinder Ghir as Aslam
- Willie Ross as Sue's father[5]
- Patti Nichols as Sue's mother[5]
- Danny O'Dea as Paddy
- Maureen Long as Rita's mother
- David Britton, Mark Crampton, Stuart Googwin, Max Jackman, Andrew Krauz and Simon Waring as Rita's brothers
- Joyce Pembroke as Lawnmower Lil
- Jane Atkinson as Helen
- Bryan Heeley as Michael
- Paul Oldham as Lee
- Bernard Wrigley as Teacher
- Dennis Conlon as Taxi Driver
- Black Lace (Alan Barton and Dene Michael) as themselves
- Nancy Pute as Mavis
- Paul Hedges as Hosepipe Harry
- Kailash Patel as Aslam's Sister
Production
[edit]Background
[edit]Playwright and screenwriter Andrea Dunbar based the story partly on her own life and on "two raucous girls she overheard in the ladies' toilet at Keighley Market".[6][7]
Filming locations
[edit]Film locations in West Yorkshire included Buttershaw,[8] where scenes of Rita's house, Sue's flat, the girls' school, and The Beacon pub on Reevy Road West from the very first scene were all shot.[9][10] All of these buildings have now been demolished.[8]
Other locations included Baildon Moor (Moorland scenes) and 5 Bramham Drive in Baildon (Bob's house); Alexandra Street (Aslam's house) and Leeds Road in Bradford (Sue's workplace Luna Radio Kars); Haworth (the school trip to the Brontë Parsonage);[9] Woodhead Road in Bradford;[8] and the Staveley Garages in Shipley.[13]
Critical reception
[edit]Rita, Sue and Bob Too premiered to a divided response and controversy in its native country. Some Bradford residents felt offended by the film and thought it portrayed the area in a negative light.[7][14][15] Writing in The Guardian, film critic Derek Malcolm gave the film a mostly positive review, stating that "Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes play the girls with the kind of authenticity that precludes glamour in favour of guts and garters...".[16] He also praised director Alan Clarke's ability to "energise the whole thing with ace professionalism, just occasionally seeing the funny side of what is essentially a sad story...".[16] He goes on to say that the film avoids sentimentality but lacks something; "[the film] wipes the comfort from the face of a lot of dimly perceived and sloppy notions, but it replaces those notions with nothing."[16]
American media was largely positive.[17][18][19][20] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 stars, and having watched it twice noted that some audiences were uneasy at its mixed tone, which he described as "angry", "sometimes depressing", and "more interested in human nature than in selling lots of tickets with lots of sex."[21] He wrote, "The movie challenges us to disapprove of the conditions that produced Rita and Sue, rather than to take a safe, superficial stand against that rascal Bob, but here I am lecturing, and the curious thing about Rita, Sue and Bob Too is that it does not lecture and contains no speeches".[14] Variety called the film "a sad-funny comedy about sex and life in the Yorkshire city of Bradford".[22] The Washington Post's Hal Hinson, however, expressed that the film needed to further examine the predatory nature of Bob's actions.[23]
Screenwriter Andrea Dunbar disliked Alan Clarke's film adaptation, which changed the original ending in her play to be more upbeat, criticising: "You'd never go back with somebody who had betrayed you".[4]
"In the play, Rita winds up having a baby and marrying Bob. Her friendship with Sue falls apart, though she names her daughter after her. At the very end, Sue’s mother and Bob’s ex wife come together in solidarity, the former declaring: “All fellas do the dirty on you sometime or other. Only let them come on your conditions and stick to them. Don’t let them mess you around.” But the film ends differently – with a kind of punch line, though it is unclear whom the joke’s on. In the final scene, Bob literally jumps back into bed with both Rita and Sue."[24]
Nonetheless, the success of the film revived Dunbar's plays.[4] The film has also amassed a cult following for its unblinking look at the working class in northern England, as well as for its 1980s style and fashions.[7][15] Film Inquiry said "it contains no real plot, to speak of, essentially riding the beats of any story that deals with extra-marital affairs. But it is in the treatment of the people it follows that the film scores a hat trick."[25][26] Starburst Magazine said that "At it's [sic] heart, though, there is a refreshingly frank and honest, not to mention amusingly real representation of how awkward and believable the reality of sexual experiences can be..."[27]
The Film Magazine wrote of the film in 2020: "Mostly it's the humour that keeps Rita, Sue and Bob Too from becoming sordid – the sex in the film truly is the least sexy sex of all time. In one scene, Rita shouts 'It's like a frozen sausage' and complains that she’s bored. Although clearly morally wrong, the humour passes off the issue of a (supposedly) 26 year old married man sleeping with two 15 year old school children as something that just seems to happen for children of such backgrounds, the comedy pierced by a sadness that haunts the film for its entire runtime."[28] In 2024, Kate Muir of The Times called the film "a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy...[with a] mostly unspoken layer of social commentary".[29]
Adaptations
[edit]Since 2017, until at least 2019, the Out Of Joint theatre company have been on tour with a production of the play.[30]
In June 2019, Rita, Sue and Andrea Too was adapted for BBC Radio 4.[31]
References
[edit]- ^ "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ Barnett, David (14 December 2017). "Why the Royal Court cancelling Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a grim joke". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b Allen, Liam (22 October 2010). "The Arbor: In the footsteps of Rita, Sue and Bob". BBC News. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ a b c Hoad, Phil (26 June 2017). "How we made Rita, Sue and Bob Too". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Rita, Sue and Bob Too". BFI Southbank Programme Notes. British Film Institute. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Andrea Dunbar: The teenage Bradford 'genius' who told it like it was". BBC News. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Barnett, David (19 May 2017). "Rita, Sue and Bob Too: 'A journalist asked us why we'd made this? He said it couldn't possibly be real, that nobody lived their lives like that'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "How Bradford has changed in the 30 years since Alan Clarke shot Rita, Sue and Bob Too". British Film Institute. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Rita, Sue and Bob Too!". Reelstreets. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Where was 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' filmed?". British Film Locations. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ Bell, James W (Good Honest Iago) - Leeds (20 April 2009). "Buttershaw Babes (Beacon Pub) Bradford". flickr. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "No hard feelings, Andrea". Telegraph & Argus. Newsquest Media Group. 15 June 1998. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Jacob, Liana (10 November 2022). "27 comedy movies filmed in Yorkshire and the plots behind them including The Festival and Full Monty". The Scarborough News. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ a b Singh, Anita (19 May 2017). "'Thatcher's Britain with her knickers down': why the snobs were wrong about Rita, Sue and Bob Too". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Rita, Sue and Bob Too: A snapshot of 1980s Britain". BBC News. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Malcolm, Derek (3 September 1987). "Boy's own photo album (film reviews)". The Guardian.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (17 July 1987). "Film: Togetherness in 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too'". New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Benson, Sheila (20 January 2011). "Movie Review : Love's Got Nothing To Do With 'Rita, Sue & Bob'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Benson, Sheila (9 August 1987). "3 Savage Commentaries on the British Scene". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (2 October 1987). "'Rita' Captures The Spirit of England's Other Side". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (2 October 1987). "Rita, Sue & Bob, Too". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Rita, Sue and Bob Too". Variety. 1 January 1987. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Hinson, Hal (22 August 1987). "'Rita, Sue and Bob, Too' (R)". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Coatman, Anna (29 August 2018). ""My View Not Their View": The Rewriting of Andrea Dunbar's Story". Another Gaze: A Feminist Film Journal. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Watt, Chris (30 May 2017). "RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO At 30: Strange Bedfellows In '80s Britain". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Hemingway, Bernard. "Rita, Sue and Bob Too! movie review". cinephilia.net.au. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Higgins, John (24 October 2017). "Rita, Sue And Bob Too". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ White, Annice (20 April 2020). "Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) Movie Review - Working Class Yorkshire Classic". The Film Magazine. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Muir, Kate (19 July 2024). "Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)". The Times. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
As a high-octane hit of comic teenage energy, mostly of the sexual sort, it remains groundbreaking, but the setting in Bradford's decrepit Buttershaw council estate adds a significant, if mostly unspoken layer of social commentary. Rita and Sue are raunchy, cheeky, unstoppable schoolgirls, played with relish by Siobhan Finneran and Michelle Holmes.
- ^ Metcalfe, Callum (8 April 2019). "Exclusive: Susan Mitchell on 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too' at The Lowry". Salford Now. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Davis, Clive (19 July 2024). "Rita, Sue and Andrea Too review — a reminder of working-class writers' struggle". thetimes.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Rita, Sue and Bob Too at Rotten Tomatoes
- Rita, Sue and Bob Too at IMDb
- Rita, Sue and Bob Too at Box Office Mojo
- Rita, Sue And Bob Too plot summary Screen Online (British Film Institute)
- Rita, Sue And Bob Too original 1987 trailer from British Film Institute via YouTube
- The making of Rita, Sue and Bob Too from British Film Institute via YouTube
- 1987 films
- 1987 comedy-drama films
- 1980s English-language films
- 1980s British films
- 1987 independent films
- 1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
- 1980s sex comedy films
- British coming-of-age comedy-drama films
- British sex comedy films
- British independent films
- Films about adultery in the United Kingdom
- Films about juvenile sexuality
- Films about poverty in the United Kingdom
- Films about threesomes
- British films based on plays
- Fictional trios
- Films based on multiple works
- Films directed by Alan Clarke
- Films produced by Sanford Lieberson
- Films scored by Michael Kamen
- Films set in Bradford
- Films set in Yorkshire
- Films shot in Yorkshire
- English-language comedy-drama films
- English-language independent films
- English-language sex comedy films