Greatest Days is a 2023 British musical film based on the Take That jukebox musical of the same name (originally titled The Band), directed by Coky Giedroyc and written by Tim Firth.
The films tells the story of a group of five school friends seeing their favourite band (known as The Boys, but based on Take That) and them reuniting 25 years later to see the band again. The film was released on 16 June 2023. The film was then streamed on Amazon Prime Video from 25 August 2023.
Contents
Plot
Rachel, a nurse living in London, wins a radio competition for tickets to a reunion concert in Athens by her childhood favourite boy band, The Boys. She initially plans to attend with her partner Jeff, who has proposed to her several times, but Rachel has repeatedly declined. They buy a caravan, which Rachel takes up North to get away, but Jeff tracks her down. Rachel tells him that she has decided to invite her childhood friends Heather, Zoe and Clare, whom she has not seen for 25 years, to accompany her.
Flashbacks reveal that Rachel, Heather, Zoe, Clare and Debbie were devoted fans of The Boys, a five-member boy band. During their school years, Rachel is affected by the breakdown of her parents' relationship, in which she comforts her brother Ryan. Her father stops her watching The Boys on Top of the Pops, and Rachel retreats into a fantasy world in which the band comforts her whilst singing Pray. Her four friends Heather, Zoe, Clare and Debbie support her as they spend time together around their northern hometown as the residents sing Could It Be Magic. Heather is preoccupied with her appearance, boys and makes clothes from items bought at jumble sales; Zoe is focused on her studies wanting to be a dean of a university college; Clare trains in pursuit of becoming an Olympic diver; and Debbie makes Heather promise to be Rachel's chief bridesmaid if Rachel ever marries.
The girls skip school to watch Clare compete in a diving competition. Although Clare is overwhelmed by the pressure, her friends encourage her to jump off the diving board as an instrumental version of Said It All plays. Debbie later obtains tickets for the five of them to see The Boys in Manchester where they sing a medley of songs including Promises and Babe. After the concert, the girls unsuccessfully attempt to meet the band and miss the last train home. A bus driver agrees to take them back, during which they imagine The Boys performing Relight My Fire. After being kicked off the bus for causing a disturbance, they spend the night on a moor overlooking their hometown. Debbie gives each of them a wristband and makes them promise to wear it for the rest of their lives.
In the present day, Rachel reunites with Heather, now an international fashion designer; Zoe, who appears to be a university professor; and Clare, who still lives with her mother in their hometown. The four women travel to Athens, where their journey is accompanied by a performance of Shine by airport staff and The Boys.
Musical numbers
A soundtrack album was released on 16 June 2023 to coincide with the film's cinematic release. It featured the orchestrations by Oli Julian and Nick Foster.
Track listing
Opening - Oli Julian, Nick Foster, Morgan Wiltshire, Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
Pray - Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras, Mervin Noronha, Lara McDonnell, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Could It Be Magic - The Cast Of Greatest Days
Said It All (Orchestral Version) - Oli Julian, Nick Foster
Relight My Fire - Jessie Mae Alonzo, Tom Rasmussen, The Cast Of Greatest Days
The Concert - Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras, Mervin Noronha, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Nope - Oli Julian, Nick Foster
Present Day - Oli Julian, Nick Foster
Shine - Matthew McNulty, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Greatest Day - The Cast Of Greatest Days
Said It All - Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras, Mervin Noronha, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Shine (Buskers' Version) - Take That
The Flood - Aisling Bea, Jayde Adams, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Five Minute Detour - Oli Julian, Nick Foster
A Million Love Songs - Aaron Bryan, The Cast Of Greatest Days
Jeff Breaks It Down - Oli Julian, Nick Foster
Production
Pre Production
Producing the film are Danny Perkins, Kate Solomon and Jane Hooks. Executive producers include Take That themselves, Damian Jones of DJ Films, Tobias Gutzwiller of SPG3, David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers who produced the original musical, and Joe Naftalin.
Casting
In March 2022, it was announced Aisling Bea would star in the film alongside Alice Lowe, Amaka Okafor, Jayde Adams, Marc Wootton, Matthew McNulty, Lara McDonnell, Jessie Mae Alonzo, Nandi Sawyers-Hudson, Carragon Guest, and Eliza Dobson. Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras and Mervin Noronha would make up the film's fictional boy band.
Filming
Principal photography took place in Clitheroe, Lancashire in April 2022 before moving to Athens.
Distribution
Release
Greatest Days premiered in London on 15 June 2023. Take That performed in Leicester Square at the premiere. The film was released on 16 June 2023.
Home media
Following the cinematic release, the film was released on Amazon Prime Video on 25 August 2023. The film was released on DVD in the UK on 3 February 2025.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.