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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Wendy Ide

Greatest Days review – nostalgic, by-numbers Take That musical

Jayde Adams, Amaka Okafor, Alice Lowe and Aisling Bea in Greatest Days.
Could it be magic? Jayde Adams, Amaka Okafor, Alice Lowe and Aisling Bea in Greatest Days. Photograph: Rob Baker Ashton

The music of Take That is the fuel that drives this formulaic story of female friendship, so perhaps a critic who wouldn’t prefer to have her skin flayed off with a nail file rather than listen to the band might find more to appreciate here. But even with that caveat in mind, and even taking into account Aisling Bea’s very likable central performance as Rachel, the children’s ward nurse who wins tickets to a reunion tour by Take That’s alter ego ensemble “the Boys”, this is weak stuff. It’s a film that obediently hits the predictable story beats, is regularly punctuated by peppy, disposable musical numbers, but shows no inclination to be much more than a nostalgic marketing vehicle for a collection of anodyne pop songs.

Watch a trailer for Greatest Days.
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