Calendar Girls

Helen Mirren - Chris Harper
Julie Walters - Annie Clarke
Annette Crosbie - Jesse
Penelope Wilton - Ruth
Linda Bassett - Cora
Geraldine James - Marie
Celia Imrie - Celia
Ciarán Hinds - Rod Harper
John Alderton - John Clarke

Calendar Girls is based on the true story of Yorkshire’s Rylstone and District Women’s Institute who bare all - well nearly all - for a charity calendar. It’s both a heart-warming and honest story with mass-appeal, intelligently conveyed by Tim Firth’s amusing script that is tinged with sadness. Hailed as the next The Full Monty and featuring some of Britain's best-loved actresses, it’s not as uproariously funny as the aforementioned tale of Sheffield strippers but remains a rollicking good comedy that only looses it’s momentum in the latter stages when the ladies are whisked off Hollywood.

When Annie’s (Julie Walters) husband John (John Alderton) dies from leukaemia, her best friend Chris (Helen Mirren) is inspired by a line in his poetry where he compares women to flowers and declares that "the last phase is the most glorious". Thus, Chris suggests they raise money to buy a sofa for the visitor’s room in the local hospital by taking the traditional W.I. calendar, and giving it a novel twist, behind the baked goods, the apple pressing and the flower arranging, the women are completely nude. Once they overcomes their inhibitions the calendar is shot and the uptight W.I. hierarchy are pacified. They raise thousand’s of pounds for cancer research and become international celebrities as a result. When Hollywood calls, and they are booked to appear on the Jay Leno show, Chris and Annie’s relationship starts turning sour as commercialism rears its head.