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

You only need to watch Calendar Girls for about five minutes to realise who the film is aimed at. Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Annette Crosbie and Celia Imrie are all women who want to push back the boundaries and strip off naked for a calendar to say that older women are beautiful too. It isn't really a film that I would be particularly inclined to watch, but my girlfriend recorded it off UK GOLD the other night, so I thought I might give it a go. Its also 'based on a true story' - which is always a little hard to believe. After her husband dies from leukaemia, Julie Walters pitches the idea of a naked calendar to her local band of Womens Institute. Fed up ...  Read the complete review