As I've learnt over and over, many pearls can pass you by if you're not paying attention at the time, and the same is true of Our Ladies, a Creative Scotland project about a choir of randy, boisterous Catholic schoolgirls on a trip to Edinburgh for a singing competition.
Now before you get the wrong idea, this is not Gregory's Girl 2.0, but it does start with a similar small town feel as it quickly rounds out the characters we'll be spending the rest of our time with, nodding more to 'The Commitments' in tone and style.
Helmed as a group by the always watchable Kate Dickie as Sister Condron, this vertical descent into the lives of mostly naïve and innocent teenage girls with a particular flair for music is always entertaining. If anything, it does beg the question of how well a middle-aged man can write for teenage girls, and therefore whether you could really classify this as authentic, rather than a 'five go mad in the big city.'
"Let's go find some sailors and get spunkin' on the shag-pile."
This story of a choir competition doesn't really inconvenience itself with sticking to the original plot. Not with the whole of hedonistic Edinburgh to go at. Perfect for a group of ravenous teens, starved of adventure.
Darkly comic and not shy to surprise, it does have its moments of quiet contemplation, though few and far between the raucous recklessness. In it's near two hours, however, the soul still manages to poke through, even if it is hungover and missing one thigh-high boot.
Great performances from mostly up-and-coming talent with direction, whilst not innovative, that is certainly an example of Michael Caton-Jones' talents.
I'm glad to say I finally got to it, as this one would have been easy to miss altogether.