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The Full Monty was a lovable comedy that left me smiling into the next day. It is the story of six steele mill workers in a small manufacturing town who find themselves unemployed and stripped, I mean strapped for cash. The leader of the group is Gaz, played by Robert Carlyle (who also played the outrageous Begbie in Trainspotting)). After watching some women react to Chippendale dancers at the local tavern, he decides that he and his buddies should be able to make a few pounds if they go one better and show "the full monty" (full frontal nudity). The only problem to the inventive plan is that none of the men really fit the exotic dancer physique. However, as Gaz says "Folks don't | laugh when you have a grand in your back pocket." The crew turns to their former foreman Gerald, played by Tom Wilkinson, for some badly needed dance lessons. Some of the funniest moments were watching the six men, insecurities and costumes, rehearse their "sexy" routines to Donna Summer and Sister Sledge tunes. The crew is so desperate for instruction that they end up stealing a Flashdance video. The rest of the group is made up of Lomper (Steve Huison) who is an extremely skinny red-head and Guy (Hugo Speer) who lacks in brains but makes up for in other 'areas'. Dave (Mark Addy) has serious weight and sex issues and Horse (Paul Barber), don't let the name fool you, has a bad | hip but can still do "the funky chicken". The viewer is given glimpses into each man's personal life and, in turn, by the end of the movie I had great affection for all of the characters. One of the best things about this flick is that the audience is able to see some gender reversal. Instead of seeing a woman like Demi Moore forced to strip for cash, we see some average men trying to cope with the idea of women seeing their "full monty's". However, despite some serious undertones this movie has managed to retain a good sense of humor. By the last scene of the film, I found myself rooting for the "full monty", not for the shock value but rather for each man's own personal triumph. |