Calendar Girls (2003)

Idea: After her husband John (John Alderton) passes away, Annie (Julie Walters) and her best friend, Chris (Helen Mirren), plan a fundraiser to donate something to the hospital in his memory. Much to their W.I.’s shock and chagrin, they plan a nude calendar. Even more shocking, of course, is the calendar’s international success.

And the magic words: Based on a true story.

I don’t believe I’ve had the chance to point this out yet, but I love Dame Helen Mirren. I don’t know what it is about her: her uncanny ability to imitate accents, her slight edge, or her courage to take her top of at the age of 57. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s not even an “edge” that she has. It’s like this inner strength that shines through in all her characters. A touch of class, even. Plus, she’s freaking hysterical.

Of course, I’m sure that Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi (writers) might have had something to do with it. I haven’t seen much else that they have done (because they haven’t done much else), and the hilarity might have had more to do with the material they had to work with. Even so, I enjoyed it. They managed to fill you with laughs and tears without having to try to hard or pull at your heartstrings. I, for one, was appreciative of that.

As you know, I have been a Nigel Cole (director) fan since Saving Grace. What else can I say? I have so much respect and admiration for those who can do comedy well. I know I’ve said it before, but comedy truly is more difficult than drama. It takes a sense of internal timing that cannot be faked. You simply have it, or you don’t.

So, yes, see this charming comedy. It’s the kind of movie that we all want to see. We all want to laugh, we all want to cry, and we all want to feel like the impossible is possible. We all want to know that maybe, just maybe, we can do greater things than we ever imagined.