Two young women reunite and rekindle their friendship after having said goodbye at their college graduation, six years earlier.I am really hit and miss on Mike Leigh. I love what he is going for with his films, and he is really sort of the godfather of the independent film. His movies have the feel of Jim Jarmusch or early Kevin Smith, but Leigh has been doing the same thing for much, much longer. And yet we never hear much about him (at least not in the States).Andy Serkis saves this film from being completely forgettable. The two leads play characters with some very socially awkward habits. Now, perhaps that is so we can relate to them -- we are all weird in our own way, right? But these two are just too weird... and then comes Serkis, who lives in one of the greatest apartments you will ever see.

Mike Leigh is one of my favourite contemporary filmmakers. After two masterpieces: the underrated "Naked" (1993) and the internationally acclaimed "Secrets & Lies" (1996), he made this brilliant "little" film about two former flat mates, Annie (Lynda Steadman), extremely self-conscious, and Hannah (the always magnificent Katrin Cartlidge), wildly outspoken, who reunite for a weekend 6 years after their college graduation. They remember and discuss all the good and bad times they spent together, while trying to figure out their own current lives.In just 87 minutes, Leigh creates one of the most compelling, realistic and moving portrayals of a real long-term friendship and all its ins-and-outs. With a soundtrack composed of hits by The Cure and an amazing cast (not just the fantastic leading actresses shine: Mark Benton as the pathetic Ricky Burton and a pre-Gollum Andy Serkis in a hilarious cameo also stand out), "Career Girls" flows like an afternoon spent with a loved one we haven't seen for a long time. Forget "Beaches" and other cheesy tearjerkers: alongside Rob Reiner's classic "Stand by Me" (1986), "Career Girls" is one of the most beautiful friendship films you'll ever see. 10/10.

Never thought that there could be a Mike Leigh movie that I wouldn't like. But this is one. The thing with Leigh's movies is that the stories are for the biggest part just ordinary people in their ordinary everyday life. And it are the characters that almost make you feel like you are watching a documentary, that make them so special. This story is again a story with nothing much interesting. Two roommates that meet again. Half of the time in real life and the other in sort of flashbacks. But this time the acting is so very much overdone, that it is almost like I'm watching an American comedy, with just the fake laughs in the background missing. Apart from an occasional laugh, I watched it till the end as if I was sitting in the chair at my dentist. Just for old time Mike Leigh's sake.

Having caught a glimpse of Leigh's "High Hopes" on television a few years back, I remember how the simplistic, unpretentious, subtle hilariousness and dramatic realism stuck with me. I then caught "All or Nothing" on IFC and immediately noticed the similarities in style between these two films. Then I rented "Career Girls" and so far Mike Leigh is 3 for 3 with me. I intend to watch all of his films. These movies are not for the easily distracted as they tend to move at a very slow pace and plots are not the main focus of the filmaking. However, the characters are all wonderfully portrayed and the acting is remarkable. Career Girls is no exception. Often hilarious, this movie also touches the heartstrings but in a very careful manner. (Unlike Love Actually, a British film that is as contrived as it is sickeningly patronizing in it's presumption that anyone would find it remotely watchable). I look forward to watching Leigh's "Secrets and Lies" next!9 out of 10