In 1999,
a member of the Rylstone Women’s Institute was faced with the loss of
her husband following his battle with leukemia. Wanting to help not
just her husband, but others like him by contributing to cancer research,
the RWI embarked on a most unusual fund-raising effort. Spurred on after
finding her son’s “girlie magazines,” one of the women came up with
the bold idea of having the “ol’ gals” pose nude for a calendar. Together
12 very special women went on to not only create this “Plain Jane” centerfold
calendar, but turn it into an international best selling sensation,
outselling Britney Spears calendars and putting the ladies on “The Tonight
Show.” And so our story is born. |
Photo © Copyright Touchstone
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five of the original models were not willing to participate in the making
of the film, the names have been changed, some fictional characters
added and film-making license taken to embellish comedic and dramatic
events for the screen adaptation. This is, however, essentially a true
story.
Annie and Chris are lifelong
best friends and soul mates and members of the RWI. They find humor
in everything and look at serious issues with a dose of laughter; that
is until Annie’s husband John is diagnosed with leukemia and eventually
succumbs to the disease. Feeling helpless and wanting to do “something”
to help others in some capacity, Chris literally stumbles on the idea
of a selling a nude calendar featuring the herself and Annie, and anyone
else they can “con” into the venture. Eventually, the two are joined
by, among others, church organist Cora, golfer Celia, senior citizen
Jessie and sexually frustrated Ruth. Informing the Institute that the
calendar will be feature ”impressive buildings in the area”, the women
then convince a shy, repressed photography student to serve as photographer
for this extravaganza.
Hoping to sell a mere 3000
calendars to raise enough funds to replace a couch in the visitor’s
lounge at the hospital where John died, the women soon get more than
they bargained for, as the calendar becomes a worldwide success, turning
them into international celebrities and sweeping each up into the frenzy
and ego that often comes with same. Each is dramatically impacted by
the fame and the fallout when their seemingly self-perceived idyllic
lives are exposed as not being that, and none more so than Chris whose
son gets arrested and whose family falls victim to the tabloids. It’s
Annie’s wisdom and experience that eventually grounds the women, bringing
them back to reality and the day-to-day task of living, ending their
15 minutes of fame and reminding them of what brought them to this place
to being with.
The pairing of Helen Mirren
as Chris and Julie Walters as Annie is heartfelt and charismatic to
the core. Their comedic chemistry is unparalleled and one so rarely
seen between two female leads. Mirren fills the bill as the commanding,
irreverant, and self-effacing Chris and yes, she does have an on-camera
nude scene. But it is Walters pure, unadulterated emotion that takes
hold of your heart and never moreso than when sharing the screen with
John Alderton who plays her husband. A true delight is Linda Basset
as the repressed church organist Cora aka Miss October who really lets
loose as an older broad getting to be a bit naughty. And of course,
the film couldn’t stand on the merits of the true story if Jay Leno
didn’t pop up in a few cameos. But look for a big surprise with an appearance
by heavy metal band, Anthrax.
Director Nigel Cole clearly
had a ball with this one, neatly blending British wit with beautiful
photography and the beautiful old world Yorkshire countryside, thanks
in large part to cinematographer Ashley Rowe. Adding some crisply timed
editing intersperses the background events and happenings of the ladies’
real lives with the whirlwind media circus created by the success of
the calendar to give a well-rounded picture of the phenomenon. Grabbing
most of the laughs from the actual calendar shoot, the buoyancy of the
first half of the film and the creation of the calendar is unfortunately,
however, weighed down by the “message” of the latter half.
“Calendar Girls” is a prime
example of why Americans appreciate British humor. And in this case,
we have the added perk of a tale that once again proves that real life
is often funnier than fiction.
Chris: Helen Mirren Annie:
Julie Walters John: John Alderton Cora: Linda Bassett
Directed by Nigel Cole.
Written by Tim Firth and Julie Towhidi. Rated PG-13. (108 min.)
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