Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Jess, the protagonist, is everyone's hero. She is in fact an ur-hero. She speaks not only to lesbians and gay men who have faced rejection, but to ALL people who have had to find the courage to be who they are and do what they want to do despite the immediate people and circumstances that prevent, forbid, oppress or threaten them from doing so.

The cast displays stellar performances: Geraldine McEwan is unmatched in her portrayal of the zealous Bible-thunping mother. She stabs naked fear and loathing into your heart from the very first scene in which she towers over the 5-year-old Jess and grills her with biblical questions, followed by a smack on the head. Yet somehow you come to respect and admire the fervent tenacity to which she clings to her system of beliefs. Melanie, Jess' first love, is the type of girl you would expect to find in a fairy tale: dripping with innocence and sweet as honey, the perfect poison apple to set up a broken heart. The preacher who leads this flock to which Jess and her mom belong is incredible as a despicable British version of Jimmy Swaggart.

The most striking aspect of the film for me is how the director has woven such teasing, subtle and yet insanely hilarious (British!) humor into a movie that has scenes so painful that it hurts to watch them. Every time I see this movie, I get a little more humor out of it than the previous time, and it makes me love the film all the more, even though it's intent as a whole is certainly not to amuse- that is purely incidental. Yet on second thought, maybe it isn't. Maybe the humor makes us appreciate the somber theme of the movie all the more each time we see it. And we admire Jess all the more, and the ending all the more because of it. It just gets better and better!


A superb representation of the book of the same name   April 14, 1998
24 out of 24 found this review helpful

This video is a collection of the three programmes screened by the BBC which take the larger than life characters form the book and make them flesh. A commanding performance by Charlotte Coleman (Four Weddings and A Funeral) as the teenage Jess, set against a worhty interpretation of her mother by Geraldine McEwan (Robin Hood, Pince of Thieves) make this an essential accompaniment to any fans of the book. Set in a mill town in the North West of England, the young Jess is "begotten" into an Evangelical church family where she is drafted in to join her mother's tag match with the sinners of the world. Her mother's religious fanaticism is unquestioned at first, until Jess hits puberty and falls in love. The discovery of her illicit affair will ring true to anybody who has been involved in a closed community, with a convincing if not sinister portrayal of her church pastor played by Kenneth Cranham (Shine on Harvey Moon). There is a great deal of authentic North West England dialogue which may be difficult for American viewers to understand, the humour is dry and dark and the supporting characters are suitably authentic, including Celia Imrie as Miss Dewsbury. For me the video and the book are less about a young girl falling in love with the wrong sort of person, more about a journey of self discovery and having the courage to change your own destiny. The filming locations and the fashions of the 60's and 70's in England are also wonderfully portrayed, this BBC production won three BAFTA awards for best actress and best serial, and a jammed switchboard when it was screened. "Innovative in style, its humour by turns punchy and tender, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit is a fews days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession. It's a love story too." END


A Wonder and Adventurous Film about Life and Growing Up!   May 24, 1999
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

This video is a true classic representation about not only life in Northern England but about discovering yourself! It will truly lighten the spirits of anyone who is a nonconformist. The story is beautiful, heartwarming and full of life! The acting is brilliant and the cinematography captures scenes from the North of England that one rarely sees without living there! This is a timeless classic and indeed true to the book of the same tittle!


Yes, "Powerful and Brilliant," but where's the DVD?   November 5, 2002
Robert E. Morrell (St. Louis, MO USA)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

This is certainly an overlooked film if there ever was one. It can be very funny and moving, but yes, I can see that it might offend some sensibilities. Well, lot's of things offend my sensibilities -- and I simply don't buy them . . . I have no doubt that a DVD version would easily pay for the costs of making it. . . Incidentally, I just got my copy of Time Out 2003 (11th ed.) today and while browsing in the obits noticed that the young co-star, Charlotte Coleman (3 Apr 68 - 14 Nov 01) passed away a year ago. Google said it was a bad case of asthma. What a pity! She is much better known for her role in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1993). Time Out doesn't even mention Oranges, which seems to have originated as a TV movie (a long one). Does anyone know any of the reviewers over there?

July 11, 2006 P.S to my original review of November 4, 2002:

Great! the dvd is finally here. But be careful about the coding. The description lists the format as PAL, which can be a problem for those of us whose TVs generally expect NTSC. But PAL will probably play on your computer. Maybe.


Disturbing portrayal of opression   December 1, 2000
Ian Charles Ahmet (United Kingdom)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Oranges is a powerful film, showing the opression of Jess, a young girl uncertain of her own identity. Dealing with sexuality and religious extremists I found at times I was unsettled by the portrayal of the violence aimed at the young girl. Never the less Oranges is a brilliant film and must be watched in its entiretry to be fully appreciated.