When you hear the term Calendar Girls, what comes to mind? If you’re like me and you pictured women, wearing skirts, stockings, and thigh-high boots, gracing the pages of calendars, you wouldn’t be wrong. But what if I told you that these women were in fact… the age of your GRANDMOTHER? YES. You read that correctly. Calendar Girls is a documentary that follows the lives of a dance group that travels all over southwest Florida.
While on tour, these women are performing in front of excited crowds all to raise money for service dogs for Veterans. You’ll meet a retired vice police officer, a lovely woman that just found her creative spark at the tender age of 71, and you’ll follow the matriarch of the group, that’s just trying to preserve American folklore through dance and service to her community.
This documentary also highlights the challenges of dancing in a body that’s aging, and how these changes affect their ability to do so. Calendar Girls is a movie that would appeal to viewers that would love to see exactly what goes on behind the curtains of a dance group but with the added twist that these women are grandmothers.
Their stories are relatable because just like most of us, these ladies must find a “work-life balance”. Negotiating with disgruntled husbands, juggling grandkids and rehearsals, and other obstacles including declining health.
Throughout the documentary, we find that these ladies are still learning even at their mature ages while also trying to raise money for their charities. The faces of these ladies are real and relatable. When you look at them, you’ll see an aunt or maybe someone that reminds you of your mother.
My take, this movie is easy stress-free viewing film that’s perfect for an afternoon with your girls from bingo, your mom, your grandma, and your aunts. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel second-hand frustration, but most importantly, you’ll feel a new sense of appreciation for the mature women in your life.
Calendar Girls is now out in theaters.
