Calendar Girls

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Nigel Cole delivers a charming, touching, funny story with a message. Based on the true story of a few society women in England who decide to do a quasi-nude calendar to raise money for a cancer center. The well-known story itself holds few surprises, but the cast is so wonderful and the dialogue so crisp that one can't help but enjoy the film. Helen Mirren ("Gosford Park") and Julie Walters ("Educating Rita") lead the mostly female cast who bare it all ... sort of. As much as I liked the film, I do believe the two leads should have flipped roles to make this even more effective. Also, the pacing is true British, as many of the lines are missed due to U.S. audience out-loud laughter. Be forewarned if you see it in a full theatre ... you will miss a few lines. A wonderful movie for all ages and both sexes!

I did not expect to enjoy this movie; from the few descriptions I'd seen I thought it would be a string of silly gags about nudity. I could not have been more wrong. The story involves some normal, believable characters dealing with grief and with the habitual narrowness of their lives in a creative way. I liked them and believed in them. At times some of the characters seem a bit to good to be true, but far more often I found myself thinking "yes, I know people like that." Their flaws and errors of judgment are handled well. When I first saw this movie I was totally unaware that it was based on a true story; that fact just put the cap on it. There's a little bit of saccharine, but a lot more unfiltered honey.

If you said to me that I'd enjoy a heart-warming tale about a group of stripping housewives from Yorkshire then I'd probably direct you to my current DVD collection, which includes such "heart-warming" films like "Desperado", "Predator" and "Die Hard". To put it bluntly, stuff like that normally turns me right off. So imagine my surprise to find myself genuinely enjoying this film which has a winning formula of gentle humour, a strong ensemble cast and, although I hate to say it, a heart-warming ending. And yes, it's another British film with people taking their clothes off. "The Full Monty" has a lot to answer for!

"Calendar Girls" is set in a branch of the Women's Institute in northern England where best friends Anne (Julie Walters) and Chris (Helen Mirren) tire of the relentless tirade of boring speeches and endlessly singing "Jerusalem". After her husband dies of leukaemia, Anne resolves to raise some money with Chris by producing an unusual version of the W.I. calendar. Having gathered enough support, they shoot a nude calendar and despite the reluctance of the W.I. leadership, the calendar's roaring success quickly brings fame and fortune to the women. But success isn't all it's cracked up to be, testing the relationships of the women with their families as well as each other.

I already felt that "Calendar Girls" was the sort of film that would fit in perfectly in the TV schedules on a quiet Sunday night when nothing else was on but I'm pleased to say that I greatly underestimated this film. True, it is a gentle film that rarely threatens to be controversial or the sort of thing that would upset your Granny. But the performances of the strong cast mean that the plot, based on a true story, never fails to captivate your attention. It's a perfect blend of tragedy and comedy and ultimately, that's the sort of thing that the film's audience is looking for.

On the flip side, I did feel it went on for too long and there were still aspects of the story that weren't fully explored such as the impact on Helen Mirren's son (John-Paul Macleod) or what happens to the women after the publicity died down. The ending also felt strangely rushed and was a bit of a letdown. Perhaps with better writing and pacing, this could have been an absolute classic but "Calendar Girls" is still a film very much worthy of your attention. It's not as saucy as "The Full Monty" but it is a simple, unassuming film with modest aspirations that manages to be a roaring success. It's a hidden gem of a film and perfect to give to your Granny for her birthday.

Based on a true story. There is a Women's Institute in Yorkshire England, a tiny little town. The Institute decides to raise money for new furniture for a local hospital. They decide the only way to raise money is do a nude calendar with members. The problem is all the members are 50+! The calendar is done and is a roaring success. The film focuses on some of the women and how the calendar affects their families and personal lives.

Whimsical is the best way to describe this. It's one of those British comedies that has few laughs, but is very lighthearted and has some serious drama in it. I can't say I loved the movie--the script, while well-written, is scattershot and the light, low-key tone was TOO low-key for me. And some story lines are brought up (one of the women has a cheating husband) and are never resolved. Still, there were some good laughs in it and there is some just beautiful views of (I'm assuming) Yorkshire. Especially incredible is a view of the entire town from on top of a huge rock overlooking the area.

Also we have some wonderful British actresses playing in the lead roles. The two best were Helen Mirren (who's just great--again) and Julie Walters (who looks absolutely stunning). Also this is one of the few films that celebrates the sexuality of women who are 50+. How many movies do you you see like that nowadays? Of course this is a British film--Hollywood would NEVER tell a story like this. Also the film does have some fairly explicit glimpses of female nudity--but they're not sexual in context and ARE needed for the integrity of the story.

I'm giving this a 7.

In the small town of Knapely, Yorkshire, England, Annie Clarke (Julie Walters) has just lost her husband, who was ill with leukemia. Inspired in his speech to the local Women's Institute, where he said that "the flowers of Yorkshire are like the women of Yorkshire", and "the last phase of the women of Yorkshire is always the most glorious", her best friend Chris Harper (Helen Mirren) decides to make a calendar with twelve local middle-age women nude to raise funds for the wing of leukemia treatment in the local hospital. The calendar becomes well succeeded, making them famous and affecting their lives.

"Calendar Girls" is a good dramatic comedy, with an interesting screenplay and great performances of Julie Walters and Helen Mirren. It becomes funnier because of the behavior clichés of the British husbands. I found hilarious the scene of the breakfast, when the husband tells his wife that she is nude in the newspaper, and then he asks for the bacon. This movie is a good entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Garotas do Calendário" ("Calendar Girls")