Calendar Girls

After Annie's (Walters) husband John (Alderton) loses his battle against cancer, her best friend Chris (Mirren) comes up with a plan to raise money for the local hospital, which treated him. Her idea, inspired by a speech written by John, would involve Annie and her, as well as nine other members of her local Women's Institute. All aged between 45 and 60 years old, the women were used to talking about baking techniques and listening to talks on gardening at their meetings but Chris has another idea. These same women would pose for a nude calendar.

The thought of a film about old women taking their clothes off for charity might put you off but you will be missing a gem of a British movie.

There is one thing that the British can do well and that is social comedy drama. After the success of movies like Once upon a time in the Midlands, About a Boy and The Full Monty, Calendar Girls follows the same formula of mixing laughs with social and personal issues. With an underlying story of grief, loss and doing something about it, the movie is both touching and funny as you see these women sacrificing a lot for a friend and the cause.

The ensemble cast is superb. The two lead actresses, Helen Mirren and Julie Walters show what fine actors they really are. They are the heartbeat of the film, with Mirren's Chris doing everything to get her idea noticed and Walters's Annie showing grief, courage and determination to continue after such a great loss. These are two of the UK's great actresses and their performances show both a love and respect for the story and the people they are playing.

The support is also excellent. Celia Imrie is on top form as the rather large chested and first Calendar Girl Celia. Annette Crosbie has some great one-liners as the oldest one of the group Jessie and Penelope Wilton has the more dramatic role as the downtrodden Ruth. The men, even though they have only minor parts, are also good with Ciarán Hinds as Chris's husband Rod and John Alderton as the tragic John giving their all for their roles.

This is one of those movies that the older, adult public will take to their hearts and recommend to all of the friends. While the final act does get bogged down slightly with the problems of success, this is an inspiring tale of women who shirk tradition for a very worthy cause. With exceptional performances by a top-notch cast and a story that will amuse as well as move you, Calendar Girls is British film making at its very best.

Deleted scenes, 'The Naked Truth' featurette, 'Creating The Calendar' featurette, Interactive menu & Scene access

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2003