Comparisons were made between this true story of the world-famous Women's Institute nude calendar and The Full Monty. Though both revolve around a group of ordinary folk reluctantly taking their clothes off (and both made money in America), Nigel Cole's film is actually less broad in its comedy and much gentler in tone. It is the very genteel nature of the North Yorkshire WI milieu that provides the film with its "high concept" (middle-aged women strip for charity). While the pivotal shooting of the calendar itself provides comic gold (during which the spare-part husbands gather in the pub like expectant fathers - a lovely touch), there is a moving, fallible humanity to the performances that keeps the whole thing the right side of farce. Julie Walters, Helen Mirren and Linda Bassett shine in a spotless cast of "ladies of a certain age" and, though a climactic trip to America creates an unnecessarily showy finale, this is prime British fare - not to mention a rare celebration of flesh untouched by cosmetic surgery.

Members of a Yorkshire branch of the Women's Institute cause controversy when they pose nude for a charity calendar.