Calendar Girls
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Movie Reviews of Calendar Girls
Movie Review: I loved this British Comedy/Real life story!
Summary: 5 Stars
The women of North Yorkshire, England do as many English country women do and join the Woman's Institute (WI) for friendship and to learn new things. Unfortunately the WI that is in Rylstone has gotten a bit dull. They seem to only be learning about things such as how many uses there is for broccoli and how to pick the perfect tea towel. But, this is all due to change. Annie's husband who is the local arborist suddenly develops leukemia. Unfortunately the love of friends, family and lots of medicine does not cure him and he passes on. When sitting with Annie in the "Relatives Room" one afternoon Chris comments that if people spend too much time on the couch in the room then they will need to build a wing of the hospital to treat them. During one of the WI meetings the chair starts to talk about the yearly calendar that is put together as a fund raiser, this year's tropic is sure to inspire lots of shots, as it is Church Steeples of Rylstone. Later while at a local auto body shop Chris spots the Pirelli Tire calendar and suddenly has a brain storm. Chris convinces a number of the WI to pose nude, yes nude in their golden years for a fund raising calendar. Her plan is to buy a new leather couch for the relative's room. After much hemming and hawing the idea takes root and then the hunt for a photographer begins.
Humor abounds as they look at portfolios of abstract artists, poodle photographers as well as butterfly aficionados. But, no one is right for the photographer they need. Finally they remember one of the orderlies for Annie's husband was a photographer. They twist his arm into the project. He comes back with the idea to have photos taken as if they were doing the painting, baking, knitting, gardening that the WI is known for, but with one slight difference, they would do it in the nude. After much wine, a lot of peer cheering and encouragement they make the calendar.
The calendar takes hold and becomes a hit. Once it is a hit in Britain it also becomes a huge success "across the pond" in the States.
I loved this movie. I thought I would be a little turned off at seeing the women posing nude. But as the show states "it isn't naked it's nude". If you like the Full Monty you will love this one. One thing that is to be noted is that this is based on a true story. To date they have done 2 calendars as well as planning for a 2007 version and have raised more than 1 million pounds (2 million dollars) for the leukemia foundation, and yes they got the leather couch. This movie was very tastefully done with the normal British flair for using normal looking people and likeable characters that are not perfect.
Movie Review: The naked truth...
Summary: 5 Stars
I love me some Helen Mirren. She is utterly fantastic, oh so lovely, hilariously on-point and simply beautiful to lay eyes on. When you take an actress as comfortable in her own skin and throw her into a film as cheeky as this one, you can almost guarantee brilliance.
Watching Mirren balance the saucy fun with the good-hearted sentiment is a pure joy.
The film is based on a true story revolving around a few fifty-something ladies and their attempt to pay tribute to a man they all loved. When Annie's husband dies from cancer, some of her friends (led by the outspoken Chris) take it upon themselves to raise some money for the hospital to purchase a new (and more comfortable) sofa for those who wait day in and day out for news of a loved ones condition. Having spent a great deal of time in the discomfort of the hospital waiting room, Annie and Chris know what they are talking about. In an attempt to not merely raise money, but also raise awareness, Chris convinces her fellow `Local Women's Institute' members to pose nude for a calendar.
Enter controversy.
Helen Mirren must be given a ridiculous amount of praise for what she was able to do with this film. Her mere presence alone is worth the price of admission, but her ability to add the right amount of cheekiness with the right amount of earnest sentiment made her character transformation not only wholly believable but completely endearing and relatable. You understood this woman, even when her motives seemed misplaced. She commanded a scene, making herself known to all, but you never missed the slight twitch of humanity scratching beneath that harsh exterior.
And yes, I think Helen Mirren is hot.
For a film that is the epitome of `chick flick sentiment', `Calendar Girls' becomes something so much more thanks to the performances, which are so in tune with one another and with the films purpose.
`Calendar Girls' is cheeky fun with a heart of gold.
Movie Review: A Gem
Summary: 5 Stars
What is it about the English and their comedy? What makes it superior to what we produce in America? Great writing, great directing, and great acting are the answer. Not to say that we here in the United States don't turn out some wonderful comedies. We do, such wonderful works as "Something's Got To Give", and "Bullets Over Broadway" and "Hairspray" come to mind, but there is a little magic in the British that we lack. "Calendar Girls" is a gem of a movie chock full of truth, humor, tragedy and triumph. Based on a true story of a group of ladies in the country wide women's group The W.I. who when tragedy strikes one of them decide to raise money for a charity by posing naked, oh sorry, nude for a W.I. calendar. It is all a perfect mix of drama and sidesplitting high comedy mixed up into taste buns that are just the right size.
Helen Murrin, who one of the U.K.'s most impressive actress, heads the wonderful cast. She is a pure delight as we watch her lead the ladies through the process from idea to stardom. She has such a wonderful way of listening and letting us in on it. She is a master of accents as well. One only need compare this performance with her "Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone" to see what I mean. She is a joy to watch and a treasure for us all to enjoy. Her best friend is played by the equally talented Julie Walters who turns in a pearl of a performance. She too is a master of the craft of acting for the screen. In her sweet careworn face we witness the love and care with which she gives us her character. The entire supporting cast is a delight to watch as well. I would love to single them all out but I will leave their charms for you to discover on your own.
On The DVD are a couple of mini-documentaries about the real Calendar Girls. These are well worth watching after you see the film and round out the whole affair perfectly.
The wonderful script is by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi and in the hands of director Nigel Cole it sparkles like a diamond.
Movie Review: What a brilliant film!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is very funny in the way that only British films can be. Rather than being laden with jokes, the characters and their situations provide the humour here. The main appeal of the film is the incongruity of a group of middle-aged ladies making a nude calendar for their Women's Institute with the hope of raising maybe £1,000. Although the characters and their personalstories have been changed, this is based on a true story, and the ladies involved in the making of the real 'Alternative W.I. Calendar' gave their approval to the script (and even appear in a cameo as members of a rival town's W.I. group!). As well as fund-raising, the calendar has had two other important effects. It has modernised the image of the Women's Institute, thought for years to be rather old-fashioned, and helped alter people's
conceptions about the acceptability of older people's bodies. The film uses older actresses Julie Walters, Annette Crosbie, and Helen Mirren (and one younger, Celia Imrie) who laudably went topless for the photo shoot scenes.
In real life, the calendars were a runaway success and have together with other linked efforts now made over half a million pounds to combat Leukaemia, but what will happen in the film? Will their efforts be defeated by family objections, administrative obstacles, lack of sponsorship, or jealousy? Watch and find out.
The DVD is rather mean with extras, but the Naked Truth is a reasonable well made promotional type making-of feature, and a very short short (under seven minutes) Making Of the Calendar shows how the actresses were photographed to make the mock-ups of the calendars seen in the movie. There are four deleted
scenes which total about five minutes. I would have thought a director's commentary could have been included, and perhaps some more background on the differences between the real story and the movie, and something about the different locations (the Yorkshire countryside shown in the film is wonderful).
Movie Review: Absolutely Fabulous ;)
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great movie! Touching, witty and well-acted. Based on a true story, Calendar Girls is the story of a group of members from a somewhat starch-collared dried-up women's fellowship club deciding to raise money to buy a comfy couch for the relatives room at the local hospital (where one of the club members husbands recently died from leukemia). Rest of the review is in the extended entry.
In previous years, they had done calendars with pictures of cakes, jams, flowers, etc - those calendars netted less than 100 pounds profit. They needed to do something different this year. Something that would make some money.
They are inspired by the dying husbands speech he had written to give at a future club meeting:
:::: "The flowers of Yorkshire are like the women of Yorkshire. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious ... Then very quickly they all go to seed." ::::
One of the women comes up with the idea of doing an arty-nude calendar - the catch being that all the women are in their later years and all their "bits" are covered with buns, watering cans, knitting needles, or their choir books.
The ensuing story is hilarious as the husbands find out what their wives are up to, the photographer is chosen, the actual photo-shoot takes place (who could forget ... "We're going to need considerably bigger buns"!), one of the women's children getting caught smoking a joint (of oregano!), and of course when the media finds out - it gets crazy!
We see the women blossom ... friendships are strengthened ... and LOTS of money is raised for leukemia research (approximately 1 million American dollars) and of course for the new couch in the hospital waiting room.
It's a feel good movie - it will have you laughing, crying and thinking about whats really important in life! It gets a rating of 5 stars!!