Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot.  
Calendar Girls, which has already seen a release in Britain, will be making its way over the Atlantic in time for the holiday season. Luckily, I get these nice invitations from the Philadelphia Film Society to attend sneak previews and premieres, so my wife and I found ourselves treated to a free screening of this film a good month before it hits theaters. This is not the type of film I normally enjoy seeing in the theater, by the way. For me, the big-screen experience is all about stunning visuals, thundering sounds, and jaw-dropping special effects. That said, I completely enjoyed Calendar Girls as a happy, spirited, light-hearted, peculiarly English comedy.  
 
Characters & Plot  
The Knapely chapter of the Women's Institute (W.I.) isn't very interesting. In fact, it's downright boring. Topics like the history of broccoli and carpets tend to predominate the presentations, and right from the beginning, we find ourselves laughing along with our two main protagonists, Annie (Julie Walters) and Chris (Helen Mirren), as they suffer through the deadly dull pontifications that make up the WI meetings. Early in the film, however, tragedy sets in as Annie's husband begins an unsuccessful battle with leukemia.  
 
Fairly soon after his death, the Knapely W.I. finds itself once again in the position of having to publish its annual calendar for charity. Instead of the usual church buildings or pictures of Yorkshire, however, Chris decides that something different is needed. After receiving some inspiration from one of her son's "adult" magazines and a gas-station biker-chick calendar, she conceives the idea of a calendar picturing various members of the W.I. in the nude. Of course, they would be doing very W.I.-appropriate activities while in their birthday suits, so it would be more classy than crass. The money raised would go to the local hospital's leukemia ward.  
 
Soon, despite opposition from the local chapter president, and some last-minute pleas to the general W.I. convention, the calendar goes to press. What follows is a media frenzy that was entirely unexpected, leading to BBC spots, tabloid reporters, Late Night appearances, sleazy Hollywood directors, and lots and lots of money raised for the local hospital.  
 
What Did I Think?  
I really liked Calendar Girls. Part of its charm as a film is its very charming cast of characters, especially the female leads. Helen Mirren sparkles as Chris, portraying a small-town woman with an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, and grit. Julie Walters brings a quiet poignancy to Annie, with an undercurrent of humor and grace. Almost all of the other W.I. women are very believable in their characters, with a whole range of body types and personalities to round out the calendar (and film).  
 
One of the wonderful elements of this picture is its celebration of beauty outside of Hollywood and magazine pages. Helen Mirren, undeniably a very attractive older woman, brings a spark of glamour to the story, but the very ordinariness of many of the other women, and the art with which they are presented in the calendar is a refreshing reminder that beauty can be more than we see in Cosmopolitan and Access Hollywood.  
 
Despite all the high-sounding declarations above about beauty and truth, the simple fact is that this is a fun movie. The subject matter lends itself to all sorts of hilarity. From the reactions of the models' husbands and families, to the media blitz, there are many moments of outright laughter throughout the film.  
 
Anything Wrong With It?  
There were a few flaws I found in Calendar Girls. A few conflicts were developed that never found any resolution in the film. Of course, there is no absolute necessity to wrap everything up neatly by the end of an hour and a half, but it is nice to see at least the beginnings of a resolution on most of the issues. One particular storyline involving Chris's son does provide a few comedy and a few drama moments, but peters out, or is lost in the wash of the story's climax.  
 
The other small complaint I could express regards the Hollywood furor that develops around the Knapely women. This segment of the film, while funny at times, devolves into a not-too-subtle critique of Hollywood and the television industry. I'm all for critiquing the establishment, by the way, but to my mind, transferring the movie's action to L.A. stripped away some of the English charm that had attended it to that point. That said, it doesn't by any means ruin the film. I just found that portion to be a bit more forced than the rest.  
 
Final Thoughts  
Calendar Girls is quite simply an all-around enjoyable film. The acting is solid, the premise is believable (good thing, as it's based on a true story), and the whole experience is rife with humor. The few flaws hardly detract from the general sense of enjoyment engendered by the movie. Even if this kind of film isn't your cup of tea, think about renting it when it hits your local video store. It's definitely worth seeing if you're home for a quiet evening.  
 
