Plot
Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw (Pauline Collins) is a 42 year old Liverpudlian housewife whose family pays her so little attention she frequently talks to her kitchen walls in order to keep a conversation going. When her flamboyant friend Jane (Alison Steadman) wins a trip for two to Greece, Shirley uncharacteristically puts herself first and accepts her invitation to join her. Upon their arrival in Mykonos, Jane promptly abandons her companion for a romance with a man she met on the plane before it even took off.
When the plane lands, Shirley sets off on her own, with Jane promising to return that night. Jane doesn't surface for several days, but Shirley is fine on her own, exploring the island. Eventually she is "rescued" by her fellow Brits Jeanette and Dougie (Anna Keaveney and George Costigan) at lunch one day. During lunch, another British couple begins to disparage Greece as being too Greek. Shirley can't stand more than a few insults before she blasts them all, letting them know that the Greeks are responsible for many modern accomplishments that they take for granted.
After dinner (at which she divulged what calamari is), she goes off alone and happens upon a taverna. She then asks the owner to help her fulfill a dream she's had: drinking wine by the sea in the country in which the grapes were grown. The owner, Costas Dimitriades (Tom Conti), willingly helps her by moving a small table and chair next to the sea.
After realizing that the grass is indeed greener, Shirley is worse off than before. Costas comes by and offers to walk her back to her room. Once there, he invites her out to his brother's boat the next day. When she balks, he promises not to try to seduce her. Convinced that he only wants to cheer her up, she agrees.
The next morning, as Shirley is preparing to meet Costas, Jane returns to the room, begging for forgiveness and not giving Shirley a word in edgewise. As Jane goes to change for their day together, Costas shows up and Shirley leaves with him, with Jane trailing behind in disbelief. Shirley then pawns Jane off on the uptight Brits as payback for leaving her alone. Shirley and Costas go out on the boat. Shirley goes skinny-dipping, revealing to the camera that she doesn't want Costas to keep his promise from the day before. After she kisses him, he doesn't.
Once Jane hears about what has happened, she believes that Shirley has fallen in love with Costas. However, Shirley reveals to the camera that she's fallen in love with the idea of living. Shirley spends more time with Costas, yet she is despondent about having to leave soon. Once the time comes, Shirley gets as far as the airport before turning back.
Once back at the taverna, she finds Costas handing the same line to another tourist as he did with her. However, Shirley isn't upset because she didn't return for him; she wants a job. Once Jane arrives at the airport back in Britain, she drops Shirley's suitcase without a word to Shirley's husband Joe, who is carrying an armful of flowers. He is shocked and embarrassed at being left and calls Shirley any time he can, from a variety of places.
Joe becomes more and more desperate the longer Shirley is away, as she becomes more content with her new life. Finally their son tells Joe to go and get her instead of insisting she come back. Hurt by his son's words, Joe sets off for Greece.
Shirley, having received a telegram about Joe's impending arrival, prepares for it. Costas is afraid of a confrontation with Joe, and begs off with a fake excuse. Once Joe arrives at the taverna, he walks by Shirley, not recognising her. She calls him by name and when he turns around, sees, as Shirley puts it, "not the wife or the mother, but Shirley Valentine". After gathering himself, she pours him a glass of wine and invites him to sit with her at the table and chairs by the sea.
Cast
• Pauline Collins (Gillian Kearney, young) as Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw
• Tom Conti as Costas Dimitriades
• Alison Steadman as Jane
• Julia McKenzie as Gillian
• Joanna Lumley (Catharine Duncan, young) as Marjorie Majors
• Anna Keaveney as Jeanette
• George Costigan as Dougie
• Bernard Hill as Joe Bradshaw