Out of tragedy comes forth success. This could well be the underlying theme of this entertaining film telling the story of one woman’s loss and other’s gain. This is the story of a rural woman’s Institute in the Yorkshire Dales village of Rylstone. It shows how the one woman Chris, played by Helen Mirren, shows her mischievous character to help her friend Annie, played by Julie Walters, raise money for a sofa in the local hospital to honour the memory of Annie's husband John, played by John Alderton, who has died of cancer. What ensues is something that no one believed could happen, especially in a small country village, as the women pose nude for a calendar to raise the money. This upsets the normally quiet approach of fund raising in the WI and leads to a Walt Disney film being made.

An entertaining film that offends no one and continues to help make money for the cause. 108 mins 12A © BA

“Calendar Girls” is in York from September, 2003.