Greatest Days: Critics say Take That musical film shines

Critics have broadly welcomed a new big-screen musical featuring the songs of boyband Take That.

Greatest Days, named after one of the group's biggest hits, is the film adaptation of the stage musical which opened in 2017.

Aisling Bea and Jayde Adams star in the big-screen version, which has received mostly three and four-star reviews.

Digital Spy described it as "a joyous crowdpleaser - whether you like Take That or not".

"We know what you're thinking," wrote Ian Sandwell, awarding the film four stars. "A jukebox musical using Take That songs? Sounds a bit naff and likely very cheesy, one strictly for the fans.

"Dismiss Greatest Days though and you'll be missing out on one of 2023's biggest movie surprises... It's a wholesome celebration of friendship, tinged with heartbreak, that ultimately proves to be a crowdpleaser."

Greatest Days is directed by Coky Giedroyc and written by Tim Firth, who has adapted his own stage musical, originally titled The Band.

Bea plays Rachel, a hardworking NHS nurse who was a huge fan of Take That in her teens, along with her four best friends from school.

When she wins tickets to see the group on their reunion tour in Athens, she reunites her old group, some of whom have not seen each other for 25 years.

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw said: "A jukebox musical featuring the works of Take That might not ever be one for the cool kids; undoubtedly this is a bit broad.

"But it's a splurge of feelgood from director Coky Giedroyc and screenwriter Tim Firth, adapting his own stage show, and it's at least as enjoyable as the much-hyped Mamma Mia! movies."

The film features many of Take That's biggest hits, including Shine, Never Forget, Patience, Back For Good and Rule the World.

However, the group are only referred to as "The Boys" in the film, rather than their real-life name.

In a three-star review, Terry Staunton of the Radio Times said: "At its root, director Coky Giedroyc's feel-good fare is a tale of everyday, ordinary women taking stock of their lives and pondering what the future holds.

"This being a film with the music of Take That at its foundation, viewers are guaranteed a succession of bangers; familiar and enduring hits whose anthemic qualities made them shoo-ins for a fresh lease of life on the West End stage in the first place."

Total Film's Tom Dawson wrote: "Giedroyc doesn't ignore life's inevitable sadnesses - along the way there are unexpected bereavements, family rifts, unfulfilled youthful dreams… It's the uplift that sticks, though."

There was praise for the cast from Smooth Radio's Tom Eames, who said: "Aisling Bea proves she can lead a film with charm and relatability, while there are standout 'watch this space' performances from up-and-comers Eliza Dobson and Jessie Mae Alonzo."

Greatest Days is released in the UK on Friday, following its London premiere on Thursday evening. It received its first screening at the Cannes Film Festival last month.

"It may be fuelled by the schmaltzy lyrics of a boy band, but this is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of female friendship," said Screen Daily's Nikki Baughan.

"Aisling Bea brings a sharp wit (and essential levity) to the central character of Rachel; now a mid-40s no-nonsense children's ward nurse but, back in 1993, a 16-year-old school girl (played, in excellent casting, by Bea lookalike Lara McDonnell) and diehard fan of a boyband only ever referred to as 'The Boys'.

"Underneath the '90s vibes, colourful production design and occasionally cringey boyband lyrics, that's a deep-rooted sentiment that we can all take to heart."

Not everybody was a fan, however. The Telegraph's Robbie Collin awarded only two stars and said: This jukebox musical is unlikely to relight your fire.

"Far too much of it still feels scaled to the stage," he said. "Comic material that in a theatre might have simply played as broad comes across as forehead-smashingly crass."

Empire's Olly Richards also gave the film two stars, writing: "The film can't find its rhythm... it's tonally all over the place.

"It does at least finish on a high, with a big shouty Never Forget. But you probably will forget quite quickly, regardless."

There was a more positive review from The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey, who said: "It's well-performed and efficiently emotive. Just like the music of Take That, I guess."

But, she added: "Much like a classic Take That track, this is a film that cares much more for the display of emotion than it does its root cause - the second it dares get specific, it risks losing that wide-scale relatability."

Yahoo's Roxy Simons said: "As far as musicals go, Greatest Days is an enjoyable caper thanks to its fun reinterpretations of Take That's songs, like the airport-based rendition of Shine that features stylish choreography and elaborate costumes

"Some songs feel perfectly suited for the scene they're used in, but there are others that feel as if they were added on just as a way to make sure fan favourites weren't missed off the list. When this happens it can be quite jarring: the placement of Patience is a prime example of this."

She concluded: "It might not have the longevity of musicals like Mamma Mia! in the long run, but Greatest Days is sure to delight fans of Take That in a new and inventive way."

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