Calendar Girls
2003
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 |
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Calendar Girls
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 | English |
| Released | DVD: 09 Feb 2004 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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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.
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Inspired in rougly equal measures by the famous Women's Institute nudie calendar concocted by the ladies of Rylstone... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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17 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Earthy Comedy
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
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Most recent members' review
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14 out of 17 people found this review helpful
No front bottoms.
When you're in the mood for something that will warm your heart, make you laugh, appeal to emotions that we all share, and generally restore your faith in humankind, 'Calendar Girls' is just the ticket.
'Calendar Girls' is the story of two best friends, Annie and Chris (both expertly cast), who set out to raise money for the local hospital after Annie's husband is stricken with terminal cancer. The snappy and idealistic Chris comes up with the idea of creating a tasteful 'nudie' calendar using the middle-aged, seemingly prude members of their local WI as models.
Without the right casting and screenwriting this story could have ended there, in an overly simplistic and predictable manner. However, 'Calendar Girls' goes so much further, forcing the girls' attention back to the joys and hardships of their personal lives, as well as facing the tough questions and realities about their original goal and what they have done to accomplish it. It plays on the common emotions that we all have experienced: fear, grief, loss, idealism, success, arrogance, failure and ultimately reflection.
Life is painful and hard, a fact that 'Calendar Girls' addresses with grace and tact. Sometimes it's nice to relax with a beautiful movie that will make you feel good.
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- JediSi
- Posted 16 Sep 2007 11:02
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News and features
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British dramas earn 23 Emmy nominations
- 07 Jul 2006
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
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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) ... -