Calendar Girls (2003)

A Women's Institute chapter's fundraising effort for a local hospital by posing nude for a calendar becomes a media sensation.

Director:

Nigel Cole

Writers:

Juliette Towhidi, Tim Firth

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, John Alderton

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Mirren	...	Chris
Julie Walters	...	Annie
John Alderton	...	John
Linda Bassett	...	Cora
Annette Crosbie	...	Jessie
Philip Glenister	...	Lawrence
Ciarán Hinds	...	Rod (as Ciaran Hinds)
Celia Imrie	...	Celia
Geraldine James	...	Marie
Penelope Wilton	...	Ruth
George Costigan	...	Eddie
Graham Crowden	...	Richard
John Fortune	...	Frank
Georgie Glen	...	Kathy
Angela Curran	...	May

Storyline

Middle aged Chris Harper and Annie Clarke are best friends. They spend much of their time at their local Knapely, Yorkshire County chapter of the Women's Institute (WI), whose motto is "enlightenment, fun and friendship". Although they like most of the women at the WI (the friendship part), they, but the perceived flaky Chris in particular, hold the way Marie, the local president, runs the chapter with derision. They find much of what goes on there, especially the monthly presentations, banal and devoid of enlightenment and fun. Equally as banal was last year's fund-raising calendar, featuring local bridges, which raised a meager £75.60, with this year's proposed calendar, local churches, promising to be even more so. After Annie's husband John passes away from leukemia, Chris wants the WI to provide a memorial in his memory: a new sofa for the family room at the hospital. The one Chris wants to buy costs £999, which she proposes to raise by changing the fund-raising calendar to one ...

---

Plot Keywords:

calendar | yorkshire | leukemia | women's institute | hospital | 

---

Taglines:

They dropped everything for a good cause.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity, some language and drug-related material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Chicas de calendario

Filming Locations:

Buckden, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$458,730 (Spain) (9 January 2004)

Gross:

$31,011,616 (USA) (9 April 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Harbour Pictures, Buena Vista International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When staged as a touring theatrical event in the UK, the fluctuating ensemble throughout the run featured: Lynda Bellingham, Trudie Goodwin, Ruth Madoc, Bernie Nolan, Diana Moran, Lisa Riley, Gwen Taylor, Jan Harvey, June Watson, Debbie Chazen, Michelle Collins, Jennifer Ellison, Danielle Bux, Bruno Langley, Joe McGann. The stage show generated more box office revenue than the movie release.

---

Goofs

In the scene with the press conference, as Chris is making her way to the front, journalists are holding cassette recorders out, as if seeking comment. However, they are playing their recorders, not recording, since the play buttons are pushed, but the red record buttons are not.

---

Quotes

Chris: How's Jem?
Rod: He made a quiche on Tuesday. We've been stoned ever since.

---

Crazy Credits

The cast list is split into two halves. The first thirteen actors/characters (Helen Mirren/Chris to John Fortune/Frank) are followed by the main crew such as the producers, writer and director, with the remaining cast appearing after this.

---

Connections

References The Fly (1958)

---

Soundtracks

"Black Cat Blues"
Written by Bert Jansch
Published by Sanctuary Music Publishing Ltd.
Performed by Bert Jansch
(p) 2002 Bert Jansch
Licensed courtesy of Sanctuary Records Group Ltd.

User Reviews

Great British Comedy with captivating actors

Did you know what makes the difference between "Art and Pornography"? Well it´s the artist. This was one of the stroking scenes of the film "Calendar Girls". This film is profundly moving and even more because it is based on a true story. The women of the W.I club somewhere in Yorkshire are famous for plum jam and speeches on different household or gardening items which are mostly quite tedious. The situation changes by the time the husband of Annie (Julie Walters)suffers from leukemia and can´t get through. Annie´s best friend Chris (Helen Mirren)comes up with the idea of a nude calendar with the women of the W.I. club to raise money for a settee at the leukemia ward at the local hospital. At first everybody is quite suspicious but the calendar turns out as a tremendous success which brings the girls even to Hollywood.

I have rarely ever seen such a heart-warming and inspiring film. This movie makes you laugh and cry almost at the same time. (My favourite scene was the one with the oregano-joint ;-).) As most British comedies the actors were fabulous and the jokes did not seem constructed like they do in most Hollywood productions.

This film is a hymn for all middle aged women. It shows the world that 40+ women can look great even when they are nude. "The women of Yorkshire are like the flowers of Yorkshire in the last state of their lives they look best."

This film is highly recommendable for everybody even if you just want to see the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire.