By: debbie lynn elias
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.
As 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.)
