Yes that's right - my first blog post of 2015 is about a twelve year old film set in Yorkshire about aging ladies deciding to get their kit off for a charity calendar. So what? When the film is this good, this charming, and this heartening; when the film is Calendar Girls...well it speaks for itself but I will say that it is to me a surefire British classic, and deserves any and all praise thrown its way.
This might be billed as a comedy, with a very Yorkshire feel (and trust me there is) but I do think the story and the performances could stand on their own, or just as easily be set in Yeovill or Yarmouth. Having said that, the initial fact that there is a distinct and powerful Yorkshire hit throughout this film (even when the Calendar Girls go to Hollywood!) makes it all the more beautiful, all the more amusing and all the more enchanting.
Calendar Girls (in case you've never heard of it) is a film based on the remarkable true story of a group of Yorkshire women who in 1998, in a bid to help and support one of their number when she loses her beloved husband to leukaemia, decide to raise money for the local hospital by doing a nude calendar (mark you "not naked - nude!"...watch the film and you will get it). What follows is a remarkable tale of larking about and ladies laughing hysterically, rediscovering of sexuality, individual morals vs. national opinion, and a story that goes global and eventually comes good more so than anyone could ever have hoped for.
The bereaved lady in question is played by the supreme wonder and the divine tour de force that is Julie Walters. I like so many have been a firm fan of Julie Walters for donkeys. Whether it is laugh-out-loud comedy or deadly serious drama - she always seems to excel and instantly draw her audiences in with little to no effort. In the role of Annie, she channels both and to marvelous effect. Portraying the fragile and delicate Yorkshire flower, the sheer heartbreak of a widow deeply in love with her lost husband, and the wonderful joy of a girl having a good time with her girls.
Side by side with Walters is the equally accomplished and equally superb Helen Mirren as Chris. Opposite enough from Walters' character as she is more confident, more dynamic and ultimately slightly more gullible to the world of fame, but also greatly similar in terms of sheer heart, sense of right and ultimately love for all those around her; just in a very different way. All the Calendar Girls go on a collective journey, but the character of Chris goes on the most individual up and down journey. What's more, Mirren delivers that to perfection with just the right amount of straight-forwardness, sultry and sexy sass and some great Yorkshire one-liners.
Speaking of the other Calendar Girls...this film really is in pretty much every sense an ensemble piece. And yes within it there are shining jewels like Mirren and Walters, but they are not the only ones by far! Almost every actor within this film has their own individual charm and is greatly placed within the plot. There were a couple of struggles to get going in terms of the believable for me; such as Ciarán Hinds as Chris' husband Rod or sadly the great Penelope Wilton as Ruth. Yet there were quite a few standouts for me, including the warm and wonderful portrayal of Annie's husband John, played by John Alderton, the chirpy and infectious Annette Crosbie as retired teacher Jessie, the superbly envisioned and well-crafted Linda Bassett as Cora, the earthy and humble Philip Glenister as Lawrence ("DON'T TOUCH THE BUNS!") and last but not least the delectable and delightful Celia Imrie as Celia.
The casting cream of the crop and the cracking characters they inhabit really boggles the mind. I know I often like to go on about character and cast performances as being key (well frankly, it is pretty major in films and the like!) but this really is a case of superb, superb superb!
Add to that lovely little touches a plenty like a great soundtrack, stunning scenery and backdrop (again thanks mostly to Yorkshire) and the end result really is a treat. Whilst the comedy value is not in the form of 108 minutes of wet yourself instances, there are plenty of clever and amusing lines and moments that will not fail to cheer you up. Add to that barrels of sincerity and heart and Calendar Girls really is a pretty well balanced British belter of a film that we should be proud of.
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