This feisty, uplifting Brit pic arrives in UK cinemas just weeks after the announcement of the death of Tina Turner – an indomitable figure who serves as an inspirational role model for at least one of the film’s key characters. Indeed, there’s more than a hint of the great soul singer’s spirit in the very likable and slyly subversive feature debut from writer-director Dionne Edwards. Like Turner, Pretty Red Dress is both playful and defiant, swept along on a tide of toe-tapping tunes that tug at the heartstrings, yet unafraid to face up to complex personal issues while still maintaining its solidly mainstream appeal.
Rising star Natey Jones puts an enticing twist on performative machismo as Travis, a young man whom we meet at the end of a spell in prison. Waiting for him is partner Candice, played with understated flair by X Factor winner turned chart-topper and star of stage and screen Alexandra Burke. A diehard Tina fan, Candice is facing a dream role – an opportunity to audition for the lead in a West End show about her idol. Travis wants them to pick up where they left off before his incarceration; to re-establish himself as the man of the house. But relations with their daughter Kenisha (talented screen newcomer Temilola Olatunbosun) have become strained as she deals with the emotional uncertainties of adolescence.
