Calendar Girls
Based on the video and the articles on aging answer the questions below. Answer the questions individually and number your responses accordingly. You must provide examples from the film and make clear connections to the readings.
1. Using the articles on aging in media images, identify and discuss any stereotypes of older people used in the film.
2. Overall, did the characters in the film conform to or defy the current media stereotypes and assumptions about aging? Explain your answer.
3. The film Calendar Girls, released in 2003, garnered a total box office revenue of about $31 million. Conversely, the 2015 film Magic Mike XXL, starring Channing Tatum which chronicles the adventures of a group of male strippers, had a total box office revenue more than double that of Calendar Girls — over $66 million. Using the information from the Rodan et al. reading, speculate on some of the reasons for this huge disparity in revenue between the two films.
4.Calendar Girls is based on the true story of women in a Yorkshire Women’s Institute who produced a nude calendar in April 1999 to raise funds for Leukemia research after one of the women lost her husband to that disease. Why do you think their nude calendar was so successful?
Cast of Characters:
Chris – lead character
Annie – Chris’ best friend
The other Calendar Girls: Cora, Jessie, Celia, Ruth
