As I mentioned (ad nauseum) in my comments for "Greenfingers", the British can take a plot that, in lesser hands, would be over-sentimentalized and make it a pleasant comedy about people who are not exactly mainstream but make you care about them and wish them a victory or two in life. In "The Full Monty" it was out-of-work steel workers. In "Brassed Off" it was out-of-work miners. In "Saving Grace", it was a widowed gardener. In "Greenfingers", it was criminals who ended up having a green thumb. If this qualifies as a genre, then I for one am only too happy to see and love them all, as I love all the movies I mentioned very much.<br /><br />Now I love "Calendar Girls" too. Middle-aged women creating a calendar which depicts them as semi-nude to raise money for a sofa for the local hospital lounge may not sound like enough to make an entire movie, but it is. Along with their initial hesitation, they need permission from the Womens Institute they belong to. The head of the local is against the idea and two of the women have to appeal to the national chairperson. Their families are outraged but some are supportive. <br /><br />Anyway, the calendar is an overwhelming success, but with that comes a downside. Family gets neglected, the true and original vision gets forgotten, and the press can be a real son of a ----- when they don't represent themselves properly. <br /><br />The fact that this is a true story makes it very special, more special than it would have been. 8/10.