DVD
Review | Calendar Girls
Written by: Kage
Alan
“Calendar Girls” was described to me as a female
version of “The Full Monty” and while I don’t believe that describes
it appropriately, I do believe it to be equally an equally empowering
film. Another thing I’d either forgotten or just not realized is that
this movie is based on a true story. Sure, it’s been exaggerated and
reworked a bit, but I like to think that the British filmmakers kept
the heart there and that’s ultimately what counts. After all, it’s
not a documentary.
Chris (Helen Mirren) and Annie (Julie Walters) are
the best of friends in a little town in England. Their days are spent
either helping with the family business (Chris), working in the garden
with the husband (Annie) or attending meetings for the Women’s
Institute, a bit of a prim, proper and uptight club. It’s a little too
proper for our friends and there isn’t a meeting where they’re not
cracking up or getting into a bit of trouble. Trouble finds them,
however, when Annie’s husband, John (Jon Alderton), is diagnosed with
Leukemia and passes away.
To honor his memory and do something for families
in similar situations, especially if they’re going to be spending lots
of time in the Relative’s Room at the hospital, the women decide to
pursue a little something different than the standard dull jam and cake
calendar pictures that the WI comes up with every year. The calendars
never sell well, but they might if they can get enough women together
and pose nude (not naked, but because “nude” is artistic). Convincing
some of the other ladies isn’t quite so easy, but nine more of them
eventually sign on. What could be more difficult than that? Success.
When news of their deed gets out, nobody is really prepared for the
press coverage, international interest and impact it will have on their
lives as well as the lives of their families.
“Calendar Girls” delivers on all levels, but let me
just say that Helen Mirren and Julie Walters are two of the finest
actresses I’ve had the pleasure of watching. Both continue to have a
distinguished career and I can’t imagine a bad performance ever coming
out of either of them. The supporting cast is more than up to the task
and each holds their own as a unique character and element of the film’s
fabric. If there’s a complaint to be made, it’s that the subplot
between Chris and her son, Jem (John_Paul Macleod), doesn’t have any
sense of closure, something it really could have used.
Touchstone has released “Calendar Girls” in its
original Widescreen format. Picture quality is quite solid with little
to no grain and no flecks or specks. Audio quality is also
problem-free, at least as far as I could tell. This isn’t a special
effects film, so it tends to be dialogue heavy and the dialogue comes
through loud and clear. As for extras, we’re treated to 4 Deleted
Scenes, and 2 featurettes; “The Naked Truth” (15 ¼ min) and “Creating
the Calendar” (6 ½ min). While the featurettes are quite nice and
aren’t filled with the usual fluff, the disc is sorely lacking a
commentary track.
I’m impressed that Touchstone delivered a decent
looking disc and managed to include everything the British disc did
(even though their disc was released months before ours). I’m not
surprised that they didn’t try and add a couple of additional features,
though. Touchstone just isn’t one of the leaders in releasing a DVD
that truly appeals to the discerning collector. It’s probably why I
don’t review many of their discs. Fortunately, “Calendar Girls” is well
worth watching, no matter who released it.
Film Rating:
B+
DVD Special Features: B
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