One of the very best coming of age—a second time—movies I’ve ever seen.

I recently signed up for Netflix, which has given me a chance to watch a lot of movies from my past that I really liked! One of these was Shirley Valentine, the hilarious tale of the midlife rebirth and awakening of Shirley Valentine (Pauline Collins), a bored and unfulfilled wife whose husband has lost all sense of fun and pleasure, focusing instead on routine and work. The movie opens with Shirley talking to the wall in her small rowhouse in Manchester, England. The first thing you learn is that she is a very funny and intelligent woman whose children have grown and moved out. You sense her discontent as she spends her time caring for her husband and wondering what happened to the vivacious, big-dreaming girl she used to be.

To illustrate how much she has changed, she flashes back to her school days when she openly rebelled, mostly because teachers failed to recognize her intelligence. And like most rebellious teenagers, she made some poor choices. Yet she was more alive then, and misses her former charisma.

Cut to the present. Her friend Jane (Alison Steadman) comes over and tells her she has won a trip for two to Greece and she wants Shirley to be her guest. This presents a stellar opportunity for Shirley to get out of her domestic rut and realize a dream: to sit by the sea and drink a glass of wine made from grapes grown in that country.

Yet as always happens when a new possibility presents itself, all the usual obstacles to personal growth crop up right on schedule. Shirley’s adult daughter decides to move back home several hours before Shirley is set to leave and her husband insists that his dinner be on time every night. I loved her story and what she chose to do when faced with these conflicts.

I first saw this movie over 10 years ago. And it hit home then. But what struck me when seeing it again was how Shirley had decided that her life was “over” because she was 42! I was 42 when I wrote my first book, for heavens sakes! It’s difficult to believe, now that I’m well past 42, that anyone could feel washed up at such a young age. And yet, that is what our culture has taught women for centuries.

Shirley Valentine is, quite frankly, one of the very best coming of age (a second time) movies I’ve ever seen. It’s archetypal and funny, and I’m glad I saw it a second time. By the way, this movie is much more interesting than the usual “chick flick,” so the men in your life will enjoy it too.