There is a scene in Regan Hall’s first feature when the girls who are its subject are accosted by a posse of cocky young men in a nightclub and have to make a quick retreat after pouring a drink over one of them. The guys give chase, but we know that they have no chance since the mini-skirted, high-heeled females are athletes and among the fastest in the UK.
The film is about what happens when they are chosen to represent Britain at the world championships, specifically the sprint relay, and it has come at the right time for people to appreciate its chirpy charm.
There’s Shania (Lenora Crichlow), from a rough London estate, who has been trained by a kindly amateur (Phil Davis). When she starts to get noticed, she has to succeed in a much more difficult world. And there’s her chief competitor Lisa (Lily James), a middle-class girl with a powerful father. There’s also Sarah (Dominique Tipper) and Belle (Lashana Lynch), runners who watch aghast as the two go at each other.
The best thing about what is an inspirational rather than inspired film is the characterisation and lively playing of the four would-be champions. They seem like real flesh and blood, thanks to a screenplay from Roy Williams, Noel Clarke (who also appears, as the girls’ professional coach) and Jay Basu.
Fast Girls is not of Chariots of Fire quality and doesn’t tell us enough about the hard grind that is every first-class athlete’s lot if he or she wants to win. Some of the racing scenes don’t seem more than passably accurate either.
But it has pace, character and a Hollywood-type ending that will send audiences out cheering.
