Calendar Girls Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)January 8th, 2004
CALENDAR GIRLS (2003) / ***
Directed by Nigel Cole. Screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi. Starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, John Alderton. Running time: 108 minutes. Rated PG for mature theme by the MFCB. Reviewed on January 8th, 2004.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: In the small Yorkshire town of Rylstone, best friends Chris (Mirren) and Annie (Walters) are dutiful if bored attendees of meetings of the local Women's Institute. When Annie's husband John (Alderton) dies of leukemia, Chris comes up with the idea of producing a special calendar to raise money for the local cancer ward -- a calendar in which WI members appear nude. With opposition coming from various quarters, however, can the plan possibly succeed?
Review: Moviegoers who were entertained by Nigel Cole's "Saving Grace" should find much to enjoy in his follow-up effort, "Calendar Girls". Both are comedies with a bit of a saucy edge which, while focussing mainly on women "of a certain age", nonetheless appeals well beyond such a narrow demographic. Scenes like those in which the eponymous ladies try to work up the courage to shoot the calendar are fondly reminiscent of the antics of the two stoned older ladies from "Grace"'s latter stages. Yet "Calendar Girls" both succeeds and fails in different ways than "Saving Grace". On the plus side, it's a generally funnier movie with a storyline that will endear itself to a much broader audience. The acting is also quite good, with both Mirren and Walters offering excellent performances while carving out two very strong characters. Unfortunately, though, "Calendar Girls" sort of runs out of steam after the first hour or so. Once the initial drama about actually making the calendar has been dealt with, the plot casts about for something to propel it through another forty minutes, and the resulting conflict between Chris and Annie feels more than a little artificial, not to mention rather tritely resolved. Still, "Calendar Girls" manages to keep the laughs coming even through this final act, and overall the film hits its target far more often than it misses.
Copyright © 2004 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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