Different for Girls (1996)

Director:

Richard Spence

Writer:

Tony Marchant (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Karl Foyle (Steven Mackintosh) and Paul Prentice (Ropert Graves) were best mates at school in the Seventies...

Plot Keywords:

Coming Out | Courtroom Scene | Gay Interest | Police Brutality | Homosexual Teenager

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Steven Mackintosh	...	Karl / Kim Foyle
Rupert Graves	...	Paul Prentice
Miriam Margolyes	...	Pamela
Saskia Reeves	...	Jean
Charlotte Coleman	...	Alison
Neil Dudgeon	...	Neil Payne
Nisha Nayar	...	Angela (as Nisha K. Nayar)
Lia Williams	...	Defence Solicitor
Ian Dury	...	Recovery Agent
Robert Pugh	...	DS Cole
Philip Davis	...	Taxi Driver
Rick Warden	...	PC Ken
Kevin Allen	...	PC Alan
Gerard Horan	...	Sergeant Harry
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Prosecuting Solicitor

Also Known As:

Crossing the Border

MPAA:

Rated R for nudity, brief graphic sexuality and strong language.

Runtime:

97 min | USA:92 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

[complaining about the size of his fine for indecent exposure]
Paul Prentice: Fifty Quid! I didn't know pricks could be so expensive!
Defence Solicitor: Only if you behave like one.

Strong acting helps raise the bar

Simple (if that's the right word) British tale of a hot headed rebel who meets up with an old school chum who's now a transsexual.

The script as filmed is almost (but not quite) as cloying as a Meg Ryan-Tom Hanks vehicle: it never really panders to the love story and it sacks trite 'witticisms' for honest language but it has just as faux-romantic of an ending as You've Got Mail or some other bit of schmaltz. However, the riveting performances by its leads help lift this film high above any mainstream pandering mush.

Rupert Graves has a high-voltage sexuality and never slips in his characterization of Paul; it's so common for actors to give some kind of Kabuki-like performance when playing volatility but he's amazingly real.

Steven Mackintosh is a revelation as Kim and his heartbreaking nuances capture an inner struggle between the mind and the heart with wonderful simplicity.

Saskia Reeves (perfect in Antonia & Jane) and Neil Dudgeon also stand out as the married couple who Kim turns to for support.

While far from being a great film, it trumps many, many, MANY other movies that try to be honest and believable in their depiction of gay or transsexual romance.