Review of Powder Room

I saw this filmed discussed a bit I think on Film 2013 with Claudia Winkleman and Danny Leigh, I knew the title meant it being in a women's toilet for most, if not all, of the film, and with a good cast of leading ladies I was hoping for something good. Basically the film revolves around the lives of a group of young female adult friends on a big night out in the nightclub called Big Sky, specifically how the life of Sam (The C Word's Sheridan Smith) is turned upside down. Sam is reunited with her old college friends, Chanel (Jaime Winstone, Ray's daughter), Michelle ("Foundations" singer Kate Nash) and Jess (Oona Chaplin, Charlie's granddaughter). Sam is forced to re-evaluate her life and put on an elaborate facade to convince them she has it all, but it is a flurry of shots, cigarettes, cider and toilet transgressions, and her dysfunctional but devoted friends intervening, that cause her charade to crumble. Sam is faced with the harsh realities of life, struggles to remain herself and tries to reassess what she wants out of life, in the end she is cheered up and reunited by her friends as they dance badly to "Gotta Get Thru This" by Daniel Bedingfield. The small character stories and big conversations all take place in the powder room, i.e. ladies' toilet, with the ever-present Toilet Attendant (Johnnie Fiori) watching and listening in the corner, only moving to give the girls a lollipop or clean up the mess they leave, she has little dialogue, but her disapproving and reactionary looks speak volumes. Also starring Riann Steele as Paige, Sarah Hoare as Saskia, The Bill's Micah Balfour as James, Alex Warren as Sean, Zara White as Stacey, Alice Sanders as Mel, Antonia Bernath as Kim, Jodi Halpin as Linzi and EastEnders' Bunmi Mojekwu as Louise. The film was partly inspired by the scriptwriter hearing a conversation between two ladies in separate cubicles, you can believe that, it is unlikely a film like this would work in the mens', ladies' toilets are where many girls get their feelings off their chest before going out to face the show of wherever they are, I found it more dramatic than funny, but the performances are all good, it does make you laugh at the right moments, and it does its best through editing and soundtrack to be energetic, not a bad comedy. Worth watching!