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Calendar Girls
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Calendar Girls
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Review by Cathy Edsey Collins
for Reel Movie Critic
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êêê½
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Cast
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Helen Mirren
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Chris Harper
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Julie Walters
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Annie Clarke
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John Alderton
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John Clarke
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Penelope Wilton
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Ruth
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Directed by Nigel Cole. A comedy. Rated PG-13 for nudity, some drug-related material and language . Touchstone Pictures. Running time: 108 minutes.
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Nobody will appreciate "Calendar Girls" more than 50-something women who often feel invisible in our youth-obsessed era. Dressed in mock turtlenecks and jackets to cover their expanding waistlines, many women of this "certain age" feel unnoticed and unsexy. When Hollywood pairs oldsters like Sean Connery, Mel Gibson and Michael Douglas with nubile actresses half their age, this ignored female population raises an eyebrow and heaves an exasperated sigh of resignation. The positive vibes emanating from "Calendar Girls" scores a few points for this beleaguered side.
Directed by Nigel Cole ("Saving Grace"), "Calendar Girls" is especially gratifying because it is based on a true story. Apparently the Rylstone Women's Institute in a small English town of Knapely decides to vary their usual fund-raising calendar sale. Previous years have seen scenic landscapes or views of local churches. This year, in a daring move, inspired by the death of Annie Clarke's (Julie Walters) husband, the
calendar will be adorned with photos of members posing nude ("Not naked! Nude!"). This wonderful, dying man told his wife that "flowers are like women…every stage glorious but the last is most beautiful."
Of course, initially most of the women-in scenes that all middle-aged women can relate to-feel far too ugly, too fat, too drooping and/or too wrinkled to reveal themselves. But Chris (Helen Mirren), the renegade of the group, convinces a handful that their inner beauty will shine through. "I'm 55 years old," admits one woman, "if I'm not going to get `em out now, when am I?" Scenes of various soon-to-be models dieting and exercising hit home, reminiscent of the plastic wrap scene in "The Full Monty."
When the big day of the shoot arrives, everyone's nervous modesty overwhelms the situation, despite the careful placement of props like cherry buns and knitting. Robes are kept on until the final moment, the photographer leaves after setting up everything with the ladies, who only have to push the camera button. When this ridiculousness becomes apparent to everyone - when their friendship becomes more important than their aging bodies - the women finally disrobe and truly have a ball.
There are several side stories about Ruth and her philandering husband, the struggle to win approval for the project from their club's president and their trip to Hollywood once fame strikes. What is really central to the heart of this warm, winning film, however, is the friendship between Walters and Mirren, and the new-found confidence they bestow on their friends through this unusual project. Highlighted by breathtaking shots of the magnificent scenery of the rolling English countryside, "Calendar Girls" celebrates middle-aged womanhood and leaves its audience grinning from ear to ear.
Cathy Edsey Collins © 2003
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