SECRET SOCIETY [ 1/2]

Hefty charmer. Running time: 89 minutes. Not rated (profanity, violence, sexuality). At the Quad, 13th Street between Fifth and Sixth and avenues.

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‘SECRET Society,” a big-hearted little British comedy of “The Full Monty” school, admirably resists the schmaltzy clichés that have nearly done in this overworked genre.

It has a, er, huge asset in newcomer Charlotte Brittain, who is utterly charming as Daisy, a timid, overweight 20-year-old housewife who goes to work in a canning factory when her adoring husband, Ken (Lee Ross), is laid off.

Daisy, who divides her time between an assembly line and cleaning the lavatories, is on the verge of quitting when her mysterious boss, Marlene (Annette Badland), decides to let her in on why the other hefty ladies in the factory are treated better than their more svelte colleagues.

Marlene invites Daisy to join her secret society of female sumo wrestlers – which empowers Daisy to resist the increasingly alcoholic Ken’s pathetic attempts to raise money by selling pornographic postcards of her.

Threatened by her secrecy, Ken decides to spy on his wife – and ends up in the hospital for his trouble.

Will a remorseful Daisy join her mates in a match against a team of male wrestlers from Japan? It’s only at this point that “Secret Society” becomes predictable.

Until then, director Imogen Kimmel and her co-screenwriter, Catriona McGowan, have steered clear of stereotype and fat jokes, showing genuine affection and respect for their large female protagonists.

“Secret Society” is a rare film that depicts a skinny male in a relationship with a plus-size woman. And, small wonder, Brittain’s sweet charisma makes her the most lovable big woman on screen since Lynn Redgrave in “Georgy Girl.”