Stars: Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn, Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook, Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks, Katrin Cartlidge, Kate Byers, Stephen Rea, David Thewlis, Lynda Steadman, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, David Thewlis, Mark Benton, Andy Serkis, Joe Tucker

Director: Mike Leigh

Summary: In 'Secrets And Lies' a successful career woman who has just buried her adoptive parents decides to search out her real mother. 'Secrets And Lies' is a comedy which centres around an oddball family. 'Career Girls' tells the story of a weekend get-together for two old flatmates which results in a journey of discovery.

This triple feature presents three films by the incomparable Mike Leigh--SECRETS & LIES, LIFE IS SWEET, and CAREER GIRLS--in one specially priced box set. See individual titles for more details.
SECRETS & LIES: Mike Leigh's superlative drama, at once hysterically funny and profoundly sad, examines a wounded contemporary British family. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a young black optometrist, has just buried her beloved adoptive mother. In her sorrow, she embarks on a search for her birth mother, who turns out to be Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn), a white factory worker living a lonely life with her surly daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook). No one in the family, except Cynthia's brother Maurice (Timothy Spall) and his wife, Monica (Phyllis Logan), knows that the teenage Cynthia gave up a child for adoption without ever seeing the baby. Leigh's trademark for developing his films' characters and storylines from an intense series of improvisations with the actors themselves reaches its summit with Hortense and Cynthia's reunion in a coffee shop, resulting in another deeply moving portrait of a family at a personal crossroads.
LIFE IS SWEET: Director Mike Leigh escapes the confines of direct-to-television films with this incredibly bittersweet slice-of-life comedy about a blue-collar family living in modern-day England. Wendy (Alison Steadman) and Andy (Jim Broadbent) are a good-natured couple with two daughters, Nicola (Jane Horrocks) and Natalie (Claire Skinner). As different as two sisters could possibly be, Natalie is jovial and optimistic, while Nicola is a discontented cynic with contempt for everything she encounters. When Andy breaks his foot and strikes upon the idea to buy a hot dog van, Wendy is reminded of what she loves--and loathes--about her husband. Gradually, Nicola is revealed to have a potentially dangerous eating disorder, and by the time tensions between the sisters erupt, Wendy must gather all her strength to keep the family together.
CAREER GIRLS: Director Mike Leigh follows up his Oscar-nominated SECRETS AND LIES with this bittersweet drama that deals with the passage of time between two friends. Annie (Lynda Steadman) and Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge) were college roommates in London. Six years later, Annie is taking the train back into London to reunite with her friend. The resulting connection sparks flashbacks from the past, where we learn that Annie was even more shy and defensive than she is currently. Helping to pull her out of her shell was Adrian (Joe Tucker), a fellow student who had an affair with both girls while they were still in school. While apartment hunting for Hannah, they bump into Adrian, who is now a real estate agent. Sadly, he doesn't remember either of them. The reunion also triggers memories of Ricky (Mark Benton), an overweight, self-conscious friend whose fragility seemed ready to cave him in at any moment. When Hannah and Annie track Ricky down, they find that he has only gotten worse and are forced to reevaluate their current lives and face up to their muddled discontentment. Steadman, Cartlidge, and Benton deliver subtle yet deeply engaging performances in CAREER GIRLS, another moving character study from acclaimed director Leigh.

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Aspect Ratio:	Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1996
Release Date:	September 30, 2002
Runtime:	318 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 9089
Keywords:	Girls, Comedy, Life, Box, General, Wide, Screen, Sweet, Triple, Mike, Set, Lies, Career, Secrets, Feature, Leigh
Genre:	Comedy