The Full Monty - Charming All the Way by Homer Yen (C) 1997
25 years ago, the town of Sheffield, England was a thriving community that saw no end to it's growth. Their steel industry was booming, the economy was robust, and the outlook was nothing but prosperous. But that was 25 year ago. Now, the once-great community has fallen victim to hard times. The steel industry has all but died, unemployment runs rampant, and all evidence of prosperity has faded like the dyes of an overwashed shirt.
Yet, there are a few local denizens who remain in Sheffield, hoping to find a way to elevate themselves from their situation. One is named Gaz (the sociopathic Begbie from Trainspotting). He is a pessimistic, chain-smoking, and somewhat delusional bloke who can't seem to make anything work. He has dreams and ambitions and is genuinely good-hearted, but the reality is that he is a separated, deadbeat Dad with a cute 11-yr. old son, whom he can not adequately take care of. Gaz loves his son very much, but the mother is fighting for sole custody of the boy, and Gaz needs to find work to pay for the expensive court battle ahead.
Gaz comes up with a crazy idea after passing by a club featuring the visiting Chippendales. He convinces himself that if women would pay to see men strip, then he could do the same and make the money he needs. But he can't do it alone and enlists the help of his best friend, Dave. Dave, is also a casualty of the economic depression, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. Calling themselves, HOT METAL, they begin to embark on their plan of assembling a group of studly men who will try to rival the Chippendales. Of course, those that apply are not of Chippendale caliber. They are either overweight, ugly or old. They also can't dance and have no rhythm. Watch them in their first practice session and you'll see them running into each other, falling down, and being generally oblivious to anything that resembles a beat.
In another scene, a few women approach them, expressing reluctance in watching less-than-average looking blokes strip. "Why would we want to look at you," they ask. And with a spark of inspiration, Gaz declares that they'll get more than they expect. "We're going to give you the full monty!" This is an expression meaning that they are going to go all the way - taking it all off! But can they really go through with it? Even Gaz doesn't know if he really wants to go through with it.
What you'll find pleasing about this British, offbeat comedy is the way that the writers draw you into the group of aspiring strippers and through the various stages of emotions as they prepare for their once-in-a-lifetime gig. You feel the moments that are shameful and embarrassing, silly and triumphant. You'll watch how destiny brings these desperate souls together, and how they begin to gel as a family and as a team. You begin to root for these people as they continue to practice and set their sights on their final performance. You want to see them succeed and retain the manhood that left with the steel industry years ago.
I have to give credit for the way this film was executed. It has an intelligent screenplay, which allayed any fears that I had that this would be some weird knock-off of last summer's disappointing "Striptease." What could have been racy is instead a nice balance of pathos and comedy. The story is straightforward and moves quickly to its winningly funny conclusion. The characters are all engaging. And, while I felt this weird feeling in my stomach every time I thought the actors on screen would begin to peel away layers of clothing, there was the proper dosage of humor injected into the scenes to act as an antidote. Potential queasiness quickly turned into laughter. However, be prepared to handle heavy English accents and several of out-of-shape butt shots.
The Full Monty is a cute story that shows us how far people will go to attain the unattainable. To do so, sometimes, we must bare our souls (and in this case, our bodies). Fortunately, all you'll have to part with is a couple of dollars.
Grade: B
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