British auteur Mike Leigh's films are inherently humanist; one of the medium's great observers of the human condition, his oeuvre is patently voyeuristic in its willingness to dispense with cinematic conventions and get in the faces of his fascinating and occasionally maddening characters. The follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 1996 film Secrets & Lies is certainly no exception to this rule – Career Girls is a funny, poignant dissection of a rejuvenated friendship between two former college roommates.

Annie (Lynda Steadman) and Hannah (the late Katrin Cartlidge) become unlikely friends and roommates in college, weathering a whirlwind of boyfriends, personal baggage and boozy nights. During a tentative reunion six years after having bade farewell to one another, the two, who are now professionals, discover that some emotional residue remains from their days in school. Over the course of the ensuing weekend, they rekindle their dormant friendship as they meet new friends and encounter old ones.

On the surface, Career Girls would appear to have all the makings of a world-class yawn-a-thon: Leigh indulges his characters in extended scenes of dialogue, often letting them reminisce for several minutes at a time, cutting between static shots of the pair. In doing so, Leigh forces you at first to listen, then when it's revealed that the conversation is nothing special, focus on what the actors are doing. Wholly believable and engaging, Cartlidge and Steadman sketch a pair of characters who travel a compelling arc; Cartlidge is hyper and borderline annoying in college and quietly cynical post-graduation while Steadman is shy and twitchy as an undergrad, politely perky as a professional. The high caliber performances are what fuels Leigh's film, making Career Girls a minor-key character study worth tracking down.

The Video:

Career Girls is presented on a flipper disc: one side is 1.33:1 fullscreen and the other 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The widescreen transfer is mostly clean and is only marred by slight flecks here and there; overall, it's a very smooth, film-like image that belies its age.

Dolby 2.0 stereo is the lone soundtrack provided with the jazzy, improvisational score and steady streams of dialogue heard clearly, free of distortion and drop-out. Optional English subtitles are also available.

The only extra is the film's theatrical trailer, presented in non-anamorphic widescreen.

With a pair of compelling performances from Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman, writer/director Mike Leigh's character study Career Girls is involving and ultimately poignant; it's well worth checking out for fans of intelligent, character-driven dramas. Recommended.