Based on a true story, Nigel Cole's CALENDAR GIRLS has a mix of comedy and heart-tugging emotion that compares with the comedies FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and THE FULL MONTY. Annie (Julie Walters) and Chris (Helen Mirren), of bucolic Yorkshire, belong to the Women's Institute (WI), which preserves traditional homemaking .. Read more
| Starring | Julie Walters, Helen Mirren, Linda Bassett, Annette Crosbie |
|---|---|
| Director | Nigel Cole |
| Genres | Comedy |
loading...
Based on a true story, Nigel Cole's CALENDAR GIRLS has a mix of comedy and heart-tugging emotion that compares with the comedies FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and THE FULL MONTY. Annie (Julie Walters) and Chris (Helen Mirren), of bucolic Yorkshire, belong to the Women's Institute (WI), which preserves traditional homemaking practices. While they're just as dedicated as the other ladies in the group, Annie and Chris are adventurous personalities, and they poke fun at the WI's tedious lectures on broccoli and fabrics. In an effort to raise money for the local hospital while also spicing things up at the WI, the ladies decide to put a new spin on the WI calendar, which usually depicts landscapes or churches. The women will pose nude for the calendar while performing traditional activities like baking and gardening. It's no surprise that the finished calendar is a wild success, bringing the ladies instant notoriety and adoration.
Stellar talent carries the story, especially from glorious Mirren, who portrays yet another daring female character, as she did in past films like THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER. Staying true to the real-life story, the film closely matches the original calendar photos, and provides a funny, touching, uplifting tale.
| Starring | Julie Walters, Helen Mirren, Linda Bassett, Annette Crosbie, John Alderton, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton |
|---|---|
| Director | Nigel Cole |
| Studio | TOUCHSTONE HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 45 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 09 Feb 2004 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
Comparisons were made between this true story of the world-famous Women's Institute nude calendar, and The Full Monty. Though both revolve around a group of ordinary folk reluctantly taking their clothes off (and both made money in America), Nigel Cole's film is actually less broad in its comedy and much gentler in tone. It is the very genteel nature of the North Yorkshire WI milieu that provides the film with its high concept (middle aged women strip for charity). While the pivotal shooting of the calendar itself provides comic gold (during which the spare-part husbands gather in the pub like expectant fathers — a lovely touch), there is a moving, fallible humanity to the performances that keeps the whole thing this side of farce. Julie Walters, Helen Mirren and Linda Bassett shine from a spotless cast of ladies of a certain age and, though a climactic trip to America creates an unnecessarily showy finale, this is prime British fare. And a rare celebration of flesh untouched by cosmetic surgery.
Inspired in rougly equal measures by the famous Women's Institute nudie calendar concocted by the ladies of Rylstone... read more on Time Out
With a 'winning blend of earthy humour and familiar faces behaving disgracefully', half the fun of this comedy - about members of the Women's Institute stripping for a calendar - is knowing that it's based on true characters. Light entertainment ideal for banishing winter blues
I really enjoyed this, there are some sad bits, but also some funny bits and I think it's quite a touching film about friendship, love and marriage. Not necessarily one for the guys, but a lovely movie to watch on a girlie weekend or night in.
Elizabeth I and Bleak House have flown the British flag high in this year's nominations for the 58th Emmy Awards. Although US drama Into The West topped the bill with 16 nominations, Channel Four's Elizabeth I followed closely in second with a total of 13 nominations. Helen Mirren (Calendar Girls, The Pledge, Prime Suspect), who has won acclaim for her role as the virgin queen, has been nominated for the award for outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or a movie, as has Gillian Anderson (The Read more