by Frank Wilkins
When faced with this year's fundraiser, the women of the prestigious and stuffy Women's Institute – of which the physical qualifications appear to be elderly and "librarian-beautiful" – can't stand the prospect of developing and selling yet another calendar featuring photographs of the hills and dales of Northern England. Last year's fundraiser netted a mere £80. This year, to cover the cost of a new settee (that's Brit for sofa) for the local hospital, the WI finds itself needing to raise nearly £1,000.

A brilliant idea crosses the mind of one member upon the discovery of her teenaged son's girlie mags. Capitalizing on the notion that sex sells, she decides to gather up a few of the "ol' gals" and pose naked – sorry, that's "nude" not naked – for this year's calendar. They had hoped to sell 3,000 copies of the calendar, but when all was said and done, the calendar became a best seller and a worldwide sensation, even outselling Britney Spears and eventually putting the models on the Jay Leno Show.

So goes the story of Calendar Girls, the screen depiction of the Rylestone Women's Institute's 1999 fundraising efforts. Of course the names have been changed and the individual personalities and experiences exaggerated or swapped for dramatic effect; but for the most part, Calendar Girls is an accurate account of their ordeal. Their newfound fame takes the women on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that they would have never experienced on their own, but more importantly, the calendar gives them the courage to face their own individual challenges.

The story centers on the lives of Annie Clark (Julie Walters) who loses her husband to leukemia and Chris Harper (Helen Mirren) the spunkier of the two, who initially proposes the idea of the nude calendar. Mirren and Walters are marvelous on screen together as they portray two soul mates whose lifelong friendship is put to the test. Chris's household is turned upside down by the instant fame. She begins to neglect her family and doesn't realize the damage until her son is arrested for smoking what is initially believed to be marijuana; and her husband has fallen victim to the British tabloids. Rather than staying to repair her family life, Chris decides to accompany the ladies on their whirlwind publicity tour of America. Annie's heartfelt reminder of the initial purpose of the calendar finally grounds Chris's enthusiasm.

Most of Calendar Girl's appeal is drawn from the inspiration of Mirren and Walters. Although the film begins to lose its quaint British charm as the group visits Hollywood, Mirren and Walters display a touching sense of veteran savvy, never falling victim to melodrama or discomposure. Especially touching is a scene towards the end of the film as the two meet in a studio back lot.

There's no question that female audience members will meet Calendar Girls with more enthusiasm than men. While I found myself chuckling in most of the right places, women in attendance were howling at situations that seemed mildly humorous to me. Most of the film's comedy comes from scenes involving the actual photo shoot. Properly positioned fruit, baked goods and gardening implements keep the "flavor" of the calendar on the tasteful side. "We're gonna need bigger buns", a woman exclaims to the photographer as one of the more well endowed women steps behind a tray of pastries.

It took me about ten or fifteen minutes to wrangle in the British accents, but the film's own brand of unique wit and English allure eventually won me over. The movie is perfectly paced and beautifully photographed. The natural beauty of the Yorkshire landscape, with its rolling hills and beautifully cobble-stoned roads, makes a perfect backdrop for this story of a group of courageous women who only wanted a new sofa for their local hospital but achieved far much more than that.

Frank Wilkins

Review also posted at www.reeltalkreviews.com.