THE FULL MONTY (1997)
A film review by Steve Kong Copyright 1997 Steve Kong
I've love movies that leave me with a silly grin when I step out of a theatre. The Full Monty is just that kind of movie.
Two men in Sheffield, England are down and out. They are out of their job at a local steel mill and just wander around. They spend their extra time steeling steel bars and hanging out at the local job-hunting office. Also at the job-hunting office is their former foreman. One day Chippendales visits their town and all the local women are there. One of the down and out men, Gaz, gets an idea. They could make a bundle of money if they did the same thing as the Chippendale men, except taking it all off. Going for "The Full Monty."
The two men seek out the help of their former foreman, who knows how to dance. Then they go looking for other men. They put together a group of six, them included, of a strange mix. One guy is extremely good looking, but can't dance (watch as he does the "wall walking" dance). Another is overweight and thinks that his wife is cheating on him. Another can dance, but has a bad hip and is a bit old. The there is the guy whose wife is using the credit card to the max but does not know that her husband has been out of a job for over six months. All of them have their troubles and this makes for a hilarious rag tag group of men.
The movie follows Gaz (Robert Carlyle) most of the time. He has been out of his job, lost his wife, and now a court is saying that he cannot see his son because he hasn't paid his child support. His son is hesitant of staying at his place because he can't afford heating.
The Full Monty is a great mix of comedy and a bit of drama. The striptease act is erotic at all, unlike the recent bad attempts by Striptease and Showgirls, The Full Monty throws out eroticism and puts in comedy.
Worth mentioning is the beautiful cinematography by John de Borman. He captures the beauty of the countryside and the gritty looks of the city. Also worth mentioning is the upbeat score by Anne Dudley.
Since this was a film from England, I had a hard time at the beginning and sometimes during the film, understanding what they were saying on screen. Though later on in the film the accents sunk in.
The Full Monty is a hilarious film with a good mix of comedy and drama. I highly recommend this film. Don't miss this one in the theatres. You just might find yourself walking out of the theatre will a silly smile on your face.
!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=! steve kong boiled@earthlink.net spy on me at: http://home.earthlink.net/~boiled/steve-cam.html movie reviews: http://157.22.243.39/boiled/ "try not. do. or do not. there is no try." - yoda !=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!=!
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