'Greatest Days' might suffer from tonal issues, but it still holds the rhythm

Rachel (Aisling Bea), a nurse and die-hard fan of The Boys, wins a radio competition for a concert in Greece to see them on their reunion tour. Having lost touch with her friends Heather (Alice Lowe), Claire (Jayde Adams) and Zoe (Amaka Okafor), Rachel invites them along and rekindles their relationship, but also brings up memories of a shared tragedy...

As much as jukebox musicals go, utilising the back catalogue of Take That seems like a no-brainer. They have a long, varied list of songs to choose from, most everybody over thirty knows and can hum along to at least one or two of their songs, and there's a kind of easy comfort in seeing it all thrown together on stage. Translating that into a movie, however, is another task entirely.

'Greatest Days' is one part a breezy, lighthearted jolly through pop hits of the '90s like 'Pray', 'Could It Be Magic?' and so forth, and one part a tearjerker about broken friendships and tragedy splitting apart lives in different ways. The problem lies in the fact that you have both ends of the spectrum and barely any hope of the two of them meeting and connecting in a meaningful way without it seeming like it's deliberately exploitative. Moreover, trying to crowbar a musical number into a funeral sequence just comes across as horribly misguided.

Yet, for all of this, 'Greatest Days' is still enjoyable in parts and this is entirely down to its overqualified ensemble cast. Kildare's own Aisling Bea has enough irrepressible mirth about her to light up an entire mid-sized town in her performance as the ringleader of the group. Alice Lowe - frequently associated with cult comedies like 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace', 'Sightseers' and her own excellent horror-comedy gem 'Prevenge' - fits into the dynamic with ease, playing an urbane fashionista and polyglot. Likewise, Jayde Adams - again, frequently associated with sharp comedy in her own standup and guest spots on the likes of 'Good Omens' and '8 Out of 10 Cats' - is able to adapt to the flighty, fluffy comedy when needed. So to is Amaka Okafor, best known for her theatre work, carries some of the more dramatic moments, but does so with ease.

There is a sense that 'Greatest Days' is trying to pitch itself along the lines of 'Mamma Mia!', both in terms of its Greek setting and the breezy soundtrack that ripples through it at different points in the story. Yet, where 'Mamma Mia!' had a fun and carefree story about a wedding, paternity tests and lost loves, 'Greatest Days' instead goes into tragedy as a defining part of growing up and using music to heal the wounds of the past. It's a lot of work for some catchy songs, and it's a testament to the cast and the competent direction of Corky Giedroyc that it hangs together as well as it does.

It's not always in tune with what's on screen, but 'Greatest Days' is nevertheless a sparkling blend of popcorn musical with a delightful cast of characters.