Calendar Girls is a 2003 British comedy starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, and Geraldine James, Based on a True Story of a group of Yorkshire women who produce a nude calendar to raise money for Leukemia research after the husband of one has been diagnosed. In a way, it is the Spiritual Antithesis of 1997's The Full Monty.
Calendar Girls was adapted into a stage play opening in 2008, and a musical opening in 2017.
This film provides examples of:
- Based on a True Story: It's about the true story of the so-called "calendar girls". They were members of the Women's Institute (groups providing opportunities for women and hosting fundraising) in Yorkshire who made the nude calendar for leukaemia research in The '90s. It was also adapted into a stage play.
- Charity Workplace Calendar: The crux of the story.
- Chick Flick: The story's rather comical with the occasional dramatic moment, and its central characters are post-middle-aged women, with the only notable males being the photographer and a dying husband.
- Gonna Need More X: Chris says this to Lawrence, the terrified photographer as he's about to take the first photograph (one of Celia topless behind a pile of iced baked goods) — "We're going to need considerably bigger buns."
- It's All About Me: Chris has a bit of a problem with this, especially once the publicity of the calendars puts the ladies in more of a spotlight.
- Oop North: It's set in Yorkshire, and most of the characters have a northern accent.
- Sacrificial Lamb: John's leukemia diagnosis, and later death, sparks the need for the fundraiser, in order to fund a sofa for visitors in the hospital, dedicated to him.
- Sarcastic Confession: Chris enters a store-bought cake into a baking contest, which it wins. When the judges call her up to share the secrets of her success, she says that she followed her mother's advice, the last part of which is to buy one at the store. Everyone thinks she's kidding.
- Scenery Censor: In universe. It's how the calendars are made just titillating enough without causing too big a scandal.
- Silver Vixen: Naturally, given the subject matter.
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: When the Women's Institutes interview for photographers, there is a montage of the rejects. The first one has almost only done photos of poodles, the second is photo artist with an... interesting portfolio, the third mostly does photos of orchids and leaves when he finds out what kind of photos they want, and the fourth is an old lech who gets turned away at the door.
