Calendar Girls (2003) User Reviews

Has some laughs

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 26 December 2003]

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.

Touching Feel Good Movie

[mjw2305 · 8/10 · 29 December 2006]

Based on a true story, eleven members of a women's institute group decide to pose nude for a rather untraditional annual calendar to raise money for charity.

With an all star cast lead by Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, we go on a journey through the ridicule and resistance that the ladies had to endure to achieve this amazing feat, which ultimately raised millions.

Calendar Girls is brilliantly performed and directed, and it has many heart wrenching tales that lie beneath the main story, each pertaining to the girls own reasons and drives to fight for what eventually became a mammoth success.

Heart Warming, Funny, Charming and Entertaining, undoubtedly a winner on every level.

8/10

Pass the Bacon

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 3 December 2003]

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!

Great British Comedy with captivating actors

[kalliope-1 · 9 January 2004]

Did you know what makes the difference between "Art and Pornography"? Well it´s the artist. This was one of the stroking scenes of the film "Calendar Girls". This film is profundly moving and even more because it is based on a true story. The women of the W.I club somewhere in Yorkshire are famous for plum jam and speeches on different household or gardening items which are mostly quite tedious. The situation changes by the time the husband of Annie (Julie Walters)suffers from leukemia and can´t get through. Annie´s best friend Chris (Helen Mirren)comes up with the idea of a nude calendar with the women of the W.I. club to raise money for a settee at the leukemia ward at the local hospital. At first everybody is quite suspicious but the calendar turns out as a tremendous success which brings the girls even to Hollywood.

I have rarely ever seen such a heart-warming and inspiring film. This movie makes you laugh and cry almost at the same time. (My favourite scene was the one with the oregano-joint ;-).) As most British comedies the actors were fabulous and the jokes did not seem constructed like they do in most Hollywood productions.

This film is a hymn for all middle aged women. It shows the world that 40+ women can look great even when they are nude. "The women of Yorkshire are like the flowers of Yorkshire in the last state of their lives they look best."

This film is highly recommendable for everybody even if you just want to see the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire.

The Last Phase of the Women of Yorkshire Is Always the Most Glorious

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 11 June 2006]

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")

For a good purpose

[Luigi Di Pilla · 6/10 · 5 February 2006]

My wife heard from a friend that this movie must be nice and so it was. It tells how with an original idea a group of aged women achieved a surprisingly worldwide success for a good purpose. I have to admit that I didn't expect such a nice story. First, I thought that the film shows it like a documentary but in fact it's well developed as a comedy. Then I liked the little romantic village in Yorkshire. I was also surprised of how good the performance was of each calendar girl but I don't know for the moment if they are also the real ones. However, don't expect too much nudity from these superb girls. For all that reasons I give with my wife a 6.5/10 and it gets a place in best of DVD collection.

Fun for all ages! Well, except children, of course.

[shahtrughna · 7/10 · 30 November 2012]

Much like one would expect out of a crisply produced, professionally acted British film, Calendar Girls delivers feel good without the big whoops and roaring laughter that accompanies its American counterparts. The acting is brilliant, with both Mirren and Walters balancing the inner conflicts of their characters marvelously. Praise should also be given to the rest of the cast, right down to the kids who play Jem(?) and his friend. Casting like this makes you wonder why other films seem to pick absolute blocks of wood for their side cast sometimes.

My nitpicks with this particular movie are mostly to do with the fact that the movie not only doesn't tie up some loose plot threads, it doesn't even look like it WANTS to. That, and the pacing of the movie never reaches anything higher than a slightly excited ho-hum, although that's hardly unique among British films.

Overall a good watch. It's refreshing to see sexuality portrayed without all the regular cliché ideas.

Go see it!

[keenan-1 · 10/10 · 27 February 2004]

I've been getting a little tired of the computer-enhanced extravaganzas that have been flung at viewers over the past few years. You know what I'm talking about--the movies that are short on plot, acting or both which are bolstered up by loud FX and revolutionary digital animation so that it becomes "special effects in search of a picture". I'm delighted to say that CALENDAR GIRLS has nothing of the kind. It's all about the plot, all about the women involved, and all about laughing so hard you cry--or maybe about being able to forget tears in deep laughter, if only for a moment.

The acting is superb. One hardly needs to mention Helen Mirren. I read one comment that pans her Yorkshire accent; well, I attended it with an Englishwoman who is very familiar with such an accent and she specifically told me that her accent never slipped, so I've no idea where that comment came from.

Having been involved with the world of cancer treatment recently (fortunately with a happier outcome for my mother, a survivor of breast cancer) this movie strikes close to home. It's completely accurate; it's not pretty and it's often degrading, no matter how much the oncological staff tries to make it easier. The movie is also accurate in the kind of sentiments it expresses about cancer. People who have been touched by that filthy disease will do ANYTHING to fight it. (I sat on a spin bike for twenty-four consecutive hours in aid of breast cancer less than two weeks ago, so I do know what I'm talking about.) Yes, a few liberties with the real story have been taken. So what? The result is a coherent progression that is more interested in human beings than plot details. And isn't that what it should be about?

I've heard this dismissed as a movie for "older people". I'm proud to be of that number--after all, at the age of thirty-five I'm ten years out of the target demographic at which Hollywood films are aimed. If by "older people" they mean people who want a movie to be about something important as opposed to the latest spectacular light show, I'm glad to be of that number. I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in a movie that is both hysterically funny and deeply touching. It has re-inspired me in the battle against cancer, and if it does that to anyone else, it will have made a worthwhile difference.

Heart-warming tale suitable for a rainy Sunday - 72%

[Benjamin_Cox · 7/10 · 4 April 2006]

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.

What a wonderful film!

[DaytonaBob · 10/10 · 18 December 2004]

I had heard of this movie but hadn't gotten to the theatres to see it. NOW I wish I had. And having just seen it I have to say it was a terrific movie.

After reading some of the negative comments on this film, I can only wonder where the writer's hearts are(Just what were they expecting? Porn? Sir Laurence? High Drama?)This is a movie about the events in Yorkshire, England, that we all heard about years ago with those wonderful English ladies who took it all off for charity. And did it ever raise a lot for charity!

Great acting and a pleasant and watchable film with all members of your family. I can recommend it to anyone in the world. If you don't walk away smiling after having seen this movie you are truly the Grinch come to life.

This gets an A+, TWO THUMBS UP, TEN STARS!. You name and this movie deserves high praise.

Wonder where I can get one of those calendars?

Don't take it so seriously and learn to have fun.

[copperncherrio · 7/10 · 13 March 2011]

This light hearted film with the fun that you'd expect from a group of English gals bored out of their wits. The story starts in a rural town in England at a women's club.

Then to raise money after one of their husband died, the two black sheeps of the group decided to do tasteful nudes calendar. The the rest escalates from here.

There are only a few things that bother me about this movie. First of all, Helen Mirren's character seems a bit too old to have a son that is 14 years old. There seems to be some unresolved plot lines as well. That is not based on the character not Helen Mirren herself. The storyline is not 100%, however, it's a fun watch about house wives having fun. It's tries to have some depth, but just ends up being cutesy instead.

Don't take it so seriously and learn to have fun.

Funny, touching, English

[neil-476 · 10/10 · 9 May 2010]

The Women's Institute is, I think, peculiarly English - a nationwide club of predominantly middle-aged women undertaking shared activities, largely domestic in nature, to alleviate the boredom of housewifery (I may sound derogatory in my generalisation: I do not mean to be). When Annie's husband John dies of leukaemia, Annie's friend Chris comes up with the bright idea of a fund-raising calendar to replace the lumpy sofa in the relatives' room at the local hospital. The calendar will feature WI ladies taking part in WI activities, but with the added unusual element of them being (tastefully and discreetly nude).

Based on a true story, this film is great. The script is very funny, the story is always interesting (especially after the calendar is published, when some elements of the story get a little darker), and the Yorkshire scenery is beautiful.

The all-star cast is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it is quite distracting when every one of these everyday Yorkshire housewives (and their husbands) is portrayed by a famous face. On the other hand, the main performances (Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton Celia Imrie) are all superb.

But the movie is a treat, especially if you can look at the WI with a knowing fondness.

eccentric Brits and their whimsical escapades - you know the drill

[LunarPoise · 7/10 · 9 January 2010]

Women from rural England, members of the Women's Institute, released a saucy calendar of themselves in various stages of undress as a fund-raiser for medical causes. They had a good laugh doing it, and the calendar had its 15 minutes of fame, helping to boost the contribution to charity beyond a million quid.

A soundbite of a story, but hardly a film. No matter, as director Cole and screenwriters Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth assuredly pad out the story with the usual conflicts and obstacles; the supportive husband undone by a mis-placed word, the campaigning middle-aged woman more interested in her own glory than the charitable cause, the pubescent teenager whose mum finds his scuddy mags, the shy photographer suddenly presented with shooting nudes... The triumphs, setbacks and redemptive arcs are all there. Depending on your mood, the film either pays off handsomely on its genre promise, or is clichéd and formulaic. As has become standard in this kind of material (again, depending on your mood, you can thank or blame Working Title), there is a UK-USA contrast, conjured up when the women visit a US chat show and experience the thrill of America, Crocodile Dundee style - big cars, big baths, big everything. The film wears its Britishness on its sleeve; the women enjoy a tai-chi session, but end on the line "Let's go and have chips." Husbands evacuate to the pub. Tabloid journalists are underhand snakes.

Walters and Mirren are a formidable pair, backed up by some seasoned pros such as John Alderton. The film is winsome, almost amusing at times. The tone is light, sentimental (in a good sense), melodramatic. It is based on a true story, and that makes a difference - in fact, the most fun I had was watching the DVD extras when the real Women's Institute ladies talk about their experiences.

Calendar Girls is a genre film, ticking off all the boxes. It is harsh to say that sometimes it seems like an extended Doc Martin episode, but not unwarranted. What some people call twee, others label delightful. Caledar Girls has found its audience, and in spades. Sometimes, I am one of them.

gem becomes a rock

[jimorris · 3/10 · 21 November 2003]

"Calendar Girls" is a mildly amusing film based upon actual events about a group of mature women in England who, in order to raise money, spice up the annual fund-raising calendar by appearing nude. Except for the script, a lot of effort went into this production. I would have swapped the two leads because Helen Mirren's strong suit is not comedy. There are funny scenes, but instead of being light, a soap opera sub-plot is tossed in mid-way. What should have been a gem, becomes a rock.

GRADE = "C-"

a joyous comedy

[Buddy-51 · 12 July 2004]

One of the most delightful films of recent years, `Calendar Girls,' a distaff version of `The Full Monty,' is the true story of a group of middle-aged English women who became international celebrities when they designed and posed for a nude fundraising calendar that sold millions of copies worldwide. Julie Walters and Helen Mirren head a wonderful cast, with Walters as a woman whose husband dies of leukemia and Mirren as her best friend who comes up with the idea of the calendar as a way of both honoring his memory and raising money for the local hospital.

The risk for any `feel good' comedy is that it will become cloying, coy or cutesy. Luckily, `Calendar Girls' boasts an enormously witty screenplay and first-rate performances by its highly gifted cast. Each of the `girls' is given her own unique personality so that we see them not just as a group, united in this inspiring endeavor, but as individuals working through their own personal demons on the rode to the project's completion. The women face the expected roadblocks and snafus in the form of `shocked,' disapproving voices in the community, but their belief in the rightness of their cause brushes all such problems aside.

This charming film provides more genuine, out-and-out laughs than almost any comedy of recent times. `Calendar Girls' is heartwarming, touching and inspiring – and what more could one ask from a `feel-good' film than that?

We're Going to Need Bigger Buns

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 15 February 2006]

"Calendar Girls" wants to be a female version of "The Full Monty," but it's too tepid for that, though moderately enjoyable for what it is. If you're drawn to it because you think it's a goofy comedy, as the advertisements for it would have you believe, be warned---it's got a good deal of humour, but it's also a very serious film, much more so than "Monty." Helen Mirren and Julie Walters do fine work in the film's lead roles. Mirren particularly has become one of my favorite actresses currently working, and you can always rely on her to deliver the goods. All of the acting in this is good, as a matter of fact. I have a feeling the movie overall wouldn't be half as appealing as it is if it didn't have a British cast. It's just the kind of story that lends itself to a British sensibility.

Nothing special, but you'll probably be entertained.

Grade: B

Highly enjoyable little movie.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 12 May 2004]

Yet again the Brits show that you don't need a big budget in order to make a good movie.

The movie has an high fun level supported by the great middle aged female cast. It's a shame that later on in the movie the movie falls into some obvious and dramatic cliché's.

The true power of the movie is all in the acting by the ladies who are all very real and warm in their performances. They are very British and yes that is a compliment. Also the rest of the movie is typically British including the wonderful humor.

I also quite enjoyed Ciarán Hinds in a role you won't often see him in, that of a perfectly normal sweet guy. It was great to see a good male performance by an actor in a movie in which the majority is female.

A nice little warm and fun movie.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Great Film

[bob-bristow · 7/10 · 16 September 2003]

It does not have the glitz of a Hollywood block buster but its typicaly 'British'. It reveals the down to earth, grass roots Yorkshire-ness of those involved. The great acting of British actors together with the locations in and around the Dales makes for an entertaining film. I loved it.

Should have won an Oscar!

[rawiri42 · 10/10 · 2 February 2014]

It is unfortunate that Calendar Girls isn't the sort of movie that gets nominated for Oscars because, in my opinion (for what that's worth) this movie would have won hands down!

It is good, clean fun without needing any of the profanity or gratuitous sex or violence that seems to define nominated films these days. Yet is ISN'T "sanitized" or ridiculously "cleaned up" for family viewing - and, what's more, it's based on a true story!

I laughed myself to tears at everyday little incidents that were just SO believable and, to be honest, anyone who didn't thoroughly enjoy Calendar Girls has a severe mental disability where they they live in a fantasy world full-time!

This is one of those very few movies that you can watch again and again and still laugh your head off. Just the thing to brighten your day if you're feeling down.

Not quite a bullseye

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 13 March 2013]

Don't get me wrong. This is a good movie. But I sort of feel like there was an archery target, they shot their arrow, and it missed the bulls-eye. Close, but not quite. I felt that way when I first watched it (back when it first came to cable), and I feel that way again now, a decade later.

The story is a good one, and based on a real story. The settings and photography are excellent. And I guess the best compliment I can give this film is that I would liked to have met these people and visited that village.

Now as to the acting, while the lead may have been Helen Mirren, I think the biggest kudos should go to Penelope Wilton. I sort of discovered her more recently in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", where she plays a rather unlikable character, but she's so much better here. Sort of a woman whose life is bittersweet.

Mirren is good here, but not exceptional. Several of the other actresses are more interesting in their parts.

Should you watch this film? Yes, I'd recommend it. But it won't end up on my DVD shelf.

Beautiful and poignant

[EvilMissQB · 10/10 · 4 March 2013]

I laughed and cried my way through this sweet, sad film. The concept is pretty basic, an untimely death spurs a group of middle aged women to try and help the widow purchase a sofa for the family room at the hospital where her husband died, but it's how the story unfolds that makes this such a lovely movie. I am probably much younger than the intended demographic, but I just adore this movie. The actors are all on top of their game. Helen Mirren is her usually wonderful self and Julie Walters is always perfection. The other ladies are a great group of English performers I always enjoy seeing. Do yourself a favor and grab your mothers, aunts, sisters...whatever, and watch this one.

'We're going to need considerably bigger buns '

[quatermax-1 · 7/10 · 8 February 2008]

CALENDAR GIRLS is the poignant, funny and basically true story of a small group of women in a Yorkshire branch of the Women's Institute who decide to do something special for their annual calendar. W.I. calendars traditionally feature craftwork, baking, flower arranging, that kind of thing, and their calendar will be no exception. There will be one big difference however. They're going use local members in the photographs - and they're going to do it naked.

Needless to say this idea not only causes quite a stir in their small Yorkshire village, but also in the W.I. itself, but these are feisty women and not ones to be put off by the disdain of others.

Annie (Julie Walters – HARRY POTTER, BILLY ELLIOTT, EDUCATING RITA) has recently lost her beloved husband John to Leukaemia and wants to use the calendar to raise money to buy a sofa, in his memory, for the waiting room in the local hospital. Her old friend Chris (Helen Mirren – PRIME SUSPECT, GOSFORD PARK, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER), a rebellious member of the local W.I., comes up with the idea of doing it naked after she spots a girly calendar at her local garage.

Remember these are all middle-aged and elderly ladies and the idea of stripping off in front of a camera doesn't come easily to some of them. As Annie says at one point when one of the other girls expresses her concern: 'None of us have been here before, love. I mean, for God's sake, my John didn't see me naked until the spring of 1975.' 'Why, what happened in the spring of 1975?' she's asked. 'A lizard ran into the shower cubicle…' Eventually, after facing numerous obstacles, i.e.: convincing the W.I., finding a suitable photographer, winning over their husbands and kids, and not least overcoming their own inhibitions, the calendar is published.

Once the media get hold of the story, the girls become nationally, then internationally, famous. The calendar starts to sell out worldwide and the girls achieve celebrity status, even to the point of eventually finding themselves on the Jay Leno show. Chris loves this. Not only will it raise huge amounts of money but also she actually likes the lifestyle, even though it is causing problems on the domestic front. Annie however is not so happy, as all she wanted to do was raise a little money to buy a sofa. Now it all seems to have gotten out of hand and everyone seems to have forgotten why they did the thing in the first place: Her husband's memory. As she says to Chris: 'I'd rob every penny from this calendar if it would buy me just one more hour with him'.

This is a lovely film that skilfully plays with your emotions. The lush, green rolling hills and stone cottages of Yorkshire are captured beautifully and create a great contrast to the later scenes when the girls are in L.A. Truly two different worlds. There are some great lines too, like the elderly couple chatting over breakfast: 'You're nude in The Telegraph, dear. (Beat) Can you pass the bacon…' and when they're setting up a baking photo where the model is being helped by the other girls to hide her modesty behind some buns, Chris finally tells the photographer: 'Lawrence, we're going to need considerably bigger buns…'

The performances are perfect throughout, as you would expect from such a stalwart and experienced cast, and the roles are underplayed just to the right degree. It's a case study, not in acting, but reacting.

The 'Naked Truth' documentary on the DVD introduces you to the real life calendar girls upon whom the story is based and the other doc shows the actresses creating a second calendar for 2004 which was sold for the same good cause as the original. The deleted scenes, though interesting, were wisely cut.

If you're a FOUR WEDDINGS, NOTTING HILL, FULL MONTY or LOVE ACTUALLY fan then this is for you.

Which one of us are you talking to, Eddie? The one who makes a tart of herself by taking her clothes off or me?

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 11 November 2018]

Fifteen years later, the film still holds up with three of the actresses becoming Dames (Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton and Helen Mirren). The film is about twelve Yorkshire women, ordinary wives and mothers who bare all for charity to raise money for leukemia research. The cast is first rate with Celia Imrie, Annette Crosbie and Linda Bassett as well. The film does a believable job in recreating how a simple idea changed so many lives for the better. I enjoyed their trip to Hollywood and being on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Julie Walters and Helen Mirren played best friends and do a terrific job as well. The cast and the film is first rate. The film inspired a West End musical adaptation as well.

Predictable, but still enjoyable.

[Red-125 · 7/10 · 2 February 2004]

Calendar Girls (2003), directed by Nigel Cole, is a fairly predictable feel-good movie. Two close friends, Chris (Helen Mirren) and Annie (Julie Walters), decide to raise money for a couch in the waiting room of the local hospital. To do this, they and ten friends pose for a calendar, in which they are portrayed nude. (Well, they're nude, but neither we nor the calendar actually shows any nudity; the view of each women is blocked by strategically placed props.)

This is a pretty thin story line, and I think the director and writers struggled to add enough sub-plots to fill out the movie. The sub-plots are artificial and not really organic to the plot--just something to watch until the credits come on.

Despite all this, the film is probably worth watching. The Yorkshire scenery is glorious, and Helen Mirren can carry a movie just by being on the screen. Not a great film, but still enjoyable.

Too many stretch marks...in the script

[slokes · 4/10 · 10 January 2004]

At the end of the 1990s, members of the U.K.'s Women's Institute got an idea for helping people with cancer and their families with a calendar featuring themselves in the nude. This was not unprecedented; sports teams and others have been known to run similar fund-raisers, but the twist here was that the WI women were all over 50 years of age. It's a funny enough idea worth thinking about for a moment or two before the phone rings or whatever, but doesn't seem like much of a basis for a movie. And now here's the proof.

The makers of "Calendar Girls" offer another dip in the bottomless Britcom well of small comedies filled with wry chuckles and tender glances designed to make the viewer feel somehow better about themselves, without really getting at the heart of anything. Aren't the British supposed to be our creative superiors? Shakespeare and all that? Many of these movies give me the feeling they're cribbing off old "M*A*S*H" episodes, the nasty later-seasons stuff where Hawkeye turned to the camera at the end and asks us what we learned in class today. These icky self-assertion dramadies work like "Terms Of Endearment," only with Peter Rabbit scenery.

"Calendar Girls" comes off as more crass and manipulative than most, and I found myself resenting the way it delivered its jokes and dramatic moments alike with obvious set-ups and trilly speechifying. The script sometimes manages to develop real tension, only to let it fade away. There's one subplot about one of the Calendar Girls' sons getting in trouble with the law, and another about a philandering husband who cruelly sends his wife on a guilt trip, which are resolved via unsatisfying one-liners and much lingering uncertainty. Helen Mirren's Chris doesn't seem to deal with situations so much as wisecrack her way through them, which might be more interesting if the filmmakers didn't simply ape her approach.

The opening section has charm, and works more than it doesn't. That's when we are introduced to the concept behind the calendar, the dying husband of Annie (Julie Walters), a gardener who writes a speech, delivered by Chris, where he compares the sunflower to the women of Yorkshire, beautiful in every stage of growth, but most glorious at the end. Chris, Annie, and several members of the fusty Women's Institute take his words to heart, and to buy a sofa for a cancer ward's family room, decide to put together a camera with nude photos of themselves representing each month of the year.

The nudity is tasteful, not really all-hang-out but kind of provocative in a way that does credit to the eternal sexiness of a strong woman, whatever her age or her state of body. The scenes are funny, and roll with a certain brave assertiveness that makes one want to join in the laughter even as one hears the unoiled wheels of audience manipulation grinding around you. For the first third of the movie, it works more than it doesn't.

Right after the calendar pictures are shot, though, "Calendar Girls" runs out of steam. So it makes due with a series of contrivances that build on a persistent formula, which operates as follows: The women get their hopes up. A crisis. Disaster! No, wait, it's not a disaster at all. Actually it's something good. It's better than good, it's great! [Note: This is not a spoiler, but it sort of is, as you will find out from watching. This very thing keeps happening over and over again.]

Just when things can't get any worse, they do. The Girls go Hollywood, literally. [Thematically, of course, the film has been there for quite some time.] Now, instead of crises about getting past the fustier Women's Institute members, or finding a bigger pair of buns, we have long scenes devoted to the plushness of their travel accommodations, or meeting friendly neighborhood punk bands by the pool. Chris and Annie bicker over what this is all about to give us some conflict, but not for long. No one worries what the WI makes of having their name dragged around in connection with this fleshy display, since it's all about curing cancer. Cancer seems to serve the same purpose in this film as Vietnam POWs did in "Rambo," as sort of an excuse to justify the movie's every excess, or each character's ambition. You don't like "Calendar Girls?" That must mean you like poor John bald and taking his nourishment through a straw!

I see "Calendar Girls" as a take on two other better films. Everyone mentions "The Full Monty," and correctly, but the film I kept flashing on was "Waking Ned Devine." Two old timers in the country happen upon a scheme to make some money, one more brassy than the other, eventually uniting their quaint pastoral community behind them. One of them even gets naked. [Yes, "Devine" is set in Ireland, but the same rustic whimsical dynamic applies.] The fact both these earlier movies made some money, not to mention the original Calendar Girls themselves, seem more at the heart of what's going on here than solving the problem of cancer, or standing up for the beauty of menopausal women.

By the end, I was waiting for someone to present Annie and Chris with a ready-made cure for leukemia. I guess they couldn't afford a George Clooney walk-on.