At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Movies about equal rights for women aren't exactly abundant, which made this movie a very pleasant surprise. It's well made, representing the 60s on screen in a realistic manner, and well acted, featuring performances by some very good actors we sadly see to little of in the bigger productions, like Bob Hoskins. And its story is both true and important, and a true testament that history can be made anywhere, as long as those fighting for it stay true to their purpose and see it through. UK cinema has so much more than James Bond to offer, and there are many gems out there deserving to be discovered by a larger audience. This is one of them. Highly recommended!

The story line in this film is based on actual events, and it has the advantage of 2-1/2 excellent performances. Sally Hawkins is excellent as the young female worker who leads the strike for equal pay at the Ford factory. Bob Hoskins is wonderful as the sympathetic union leader who manages to sabotage the union's efforts to quell the uprising. The extra one-half belongs to Miranda Richardson, the real-life Barbara Castle who got the women most (and eventually all) they wanted from the Labour government then in power. Richardson is superb but she has only a minor on-screen presence. The problem, as often in British-made movies, is the mix of accents which makes it difficult for viewers who are not British to understand what's being said. Unfortunately, some of the dialog is virtually unintelligible. Classically trained UK actors know how to make themselves understood to American audiences regardless of the regional accents they are called upon to adopt. Bob Hoskins has that capability. Many other British actors, although very good, aren't able to do that. (I'm sure some regional accents in American movies are equally difficult for non=American audiences). I might easily have given this movie a 10. It's well worth seeing but if you're like me, prepare to be frequently confused. The cable news networks sometimes use subtitles when people are speaking heavily-accented English. British film-makers might be well-advised to do the same.

Sally Hawkins' Golden Globe winning in 2009 for HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008) prompts herself to the eminent status as a new rising star from UK, so two years later, she acquired another hard- earned leading role in this Nigel Cole (CALENDAR GIRLS 2003, a 7/10) helmed biographic story of women's fighting for equal rights (equal pay). It is rather hard to believe that merely half-a-century ago, equal pay would induce such a startling pain-in-the-neck in UK, the most advanced and civilised country in the world, which should have been taken for granted by anyone anywhere now without a second thought. So each and every little progress in the human history needs tremendous effort to push behind it, and gladly this film is able to manage a solid job to portray such an effort with a strongly female- skewed cast. Hawkins has an ardent inner power within her willowy body, the most intense scene is the explosive encounter between her and her husband (Daniel Mays), when she shoots back with the punchline "It is what it should be!", definitely a soul-lifting achievement just by one single line and her current ranking is among my top 5 in the leading actress category. Then comes to the supporting group, Oscar-nominees Hoskins and Richardson are both fine, but unfortunately no scene-stealing moment; otherwise veteran Geraldine James and the former Bond-girl Rosamund Pike are the lucky ones here, the former is compellingly amiable even in her saddest time, while the latter deftly utilising her very meagre screen time to declare her faculty in transform some average shots into her personal proscenium (she is among my top 10 supporting actress list). The film may not be an idiosyncratic piece of work which should have infusing new blood into the heartening but vaguely worn-out biography breed, and more or less, its narrative strategy is too formal and a trifle conservative, but it has its flair in instilling a feel-good assurance to its audience without being dictatorial and sermonic, plus an adroit engineering of its source material into its maximum momentum, and last not the least, a laudable UK troupe is the key of it.

I remember when this came out the director came on the radio and complained bitterly that it had been given a 15 certificate. The main reason for this was the amount of swearing used, particularly in the first half of the film. Well, I'm sorry to say Mr Cole, but the BBFC were right, I'm pretty sure 12 year olds swear enough without seeing adults doing it to that extent on the big screen. But enough of my ramblings… more after this very brief summary.It is 1968 and the Ford motor company have several large manufacturing plants here in the UK. One of the largest is at Dagenham in the South East of England and part of their operation is the women who sew together the seat covers etc. Their job has been downgraded as unskilled and they are paid the minimum Ford can get away with. With the help of their union representative, Albert Passingham, they take a vote and decide to stand up for their rights. A meeting is convened with the management and Rita O'Grady is one of those picked to represent the workers. At the meeting, Rita is unhappy with the way they are treated and tells them that they are going out on strike. It turns out there are bigger issues at stake and this little dispute is soon making national news as the people come to the realisation it's more about equal pay for women than anything else. I won't say any more or the Spoiler Police will be checking my union card.Well made with some nice comic moments, but it's FAR from the comedy much of the publicity may tell you it is. Decent performances all round, particularly from; Sally Hawkins as Rita O'Grady, Geraldine James as Connie, Bob Hoskins as Albert Passingham, Jaime Winstone as Sandra, Daniel Mays as Eddie O'Grady, Rosamund Pike as Lisa Hopkins and Miranda Richardson as Barbara Castle.One of the things that put me off seeing this at the cinema was the fact that it was being touted as a comedy. Imagine my surprise when I found it was actually a semi-biographical drama about the struggle for equal pay for women with some comic moments thrown in. A much better proposition in my book and one I pretty much enjoyed. Throw in a few tunes of the day and you've got something certainly worth a look. I may be slightly biased because these events occurred during my lifetime, although I was pretty young at the time, but still, it's a pretty good film and worth a viewing if you get the chance.My score: 7.1/10 IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 3,829 votes at the time of going to press).