Calendar Girls (DVD)

Way back when UIP.com put me in the way of two free tickets to a mystery preview and I jumped at the thought of a free film in a cinema that might cost upwards of £8. There was some trepidation (would it be some reportedly godawful pap like Gigli?), but off I went, and I was rewarded with this gentle, funny, moving little tale. Chris Harper HELEN MIRREN Annie Clarke JULIE WALTERS Jesse ANNETTE CROSBIE Celia CELIA IMRIE Ruth PENELOPE WILTON Rod Harper CIARAN HINDS John Clarke JOHN ALDERTON Directed by NIGEL COLE (Saving Grace) Written by TIM FIRTH and JULIETTE TOWHIDI Original music by PATRICK ...  Read the complete review

The editors of that silly book they sell in The Works for a couple of quid that lists sexy female actresses (in among the unsexy ones) and which films you might get a glimpse of nipple, might have a passing interest in Calendar Girls. So might you, should you have similarly puerile interests. Should you, however, aim to see the best-acted, breeziest and most bitter-sweet British-set comedy of the year, then Calendar Girls will fit the bill. Life as a member of the WI can?t be incredibly exciting, however often you like to tirelessly sing through Jerusalem at the start of each meeting. Sure, there is a range in the topics of the talks provided, from an ...  Read the complete review

There are some films that are quintessentially English in their mixture of pathos and humour. When done well, these films hold a certain charm and inoffensiveness that can appeal to a large range of audiences, often including those located on the other side of the fishpond. Problems sometimes arise when these type of films attempt to cater to our American friends a little too much, and don't quite manage to hit that the tricky balance that makes the film truly appealing to either audience. Thankfully, with 'Calendar Girls' director Nigel Cole has managed to hit the spot, doing justice to a film based on the real events of Rydesdale, Yorkshire, that ...  Read the complete review

As a twenty-five year old male I am always a bit sceptical when my mother recommends a film, but in the case of Calendar Girls she was so adamant that I would like it that I eventually gave in to her constant quizzing as to why I still hadn?t watched it. The film is based on a true story about how a small group from the Women?s Institute decided to add a bit of spice to their ordinary calendar in an attempt to raise money to purchase a sofa for the local hospital where Annie?s (Julie Walters) husband John (John Alderton) lost his fight against Leukaemia. Annie?s friend Chris (Helen Mirren) comes up with the idea to incorporate the old WI style calendar ...  Read the complete review

Supposedly this film is based on a true story, although how much of it is factual is anybody's guess. The story starts out when Annie's husband dies, she and her friend Chris decide to release a calender from WI with themselves and 9 other women in the nude to raise money for a visitors room at the local hospital. Walters husband has recently died from leukimia so the two women are desperate to do something to make a difference. Facing tough opposition from local council and head of Womens Institute, they have to fight for funding and permission to go ahead with something that is initially seen as a bit smutty and not good for the good of the WI. They finally ...  Read the complete review