THE FULL MONTY
RATING: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Fox Searchlight / 1:30 / 1997 / R (language, nudity) Cast: Robert Carlyle; Tom Wilkinson; Mark Addy; Steve Huison; Paul Barber; Hugo Speer; William Snape; Lesley Sharp; Emily Woof Director: Peter Cattaneo Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
The male dancers in the much-hyped "The Full Monty" are more hamburger than beefcake, but the unanticipated surprise is that a group of Average Joes -- some shrimpy, some overweight, some, well, just plain average -- hesitantly getting down to tunes by Tom Jones, Sister Sledge and Gary Glitter yields some of the best laughs of the season. What "The Birdcage" did for drag performers, The Full Monty does for strippers. A lot.
Robert Carlyle, whose turn as "Trainspotting"'s violent psychopath Begbie earned him rave reviews last summer, has the lead role of Gaz, an ex-steelworker in Sheffield, England suffering from problems both monetary and family-related -- trips to the unemployment agency are frequent, the amount of time his ex-wife allows him to spend with his son (William Snape) is not. The same goes for his best friend Dave (Mark Addy), an overweight security guard who is upset over his current inability to perform sexually, and his ex-foreman Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), who is too afraid to tell his big-spender wife about his recently-acquired pink slip. After the Chippendales come to town, strip down to their boxers and attract a large female crowd, Gaz hatches a plan -- he'll recruit a team of his own dancers, and they'll get an even larger following by takin' it all off (i.e., the "full monty").
Three more unlikely subjects join Gaz's troupe: Horse (Paul Barber), a middle-aged black man who can do the funky chicken with the best of them; Lomper (Steve Huison), a timid, suicidal security guard; and Guy (Hugo Speer), who makes up for an amazing lack of coordination by having quite a full monty himself, if you take my meaning. Together, the half-dozen males attempt to cast their daily difficulties and physical inadequacies (or surplus thereof, in Guy's place) aside and begin a rehearsing schedule that includes choreography, practice, breakaway pants and tiny red leather G-strings.
"The Full Monty" is very similar to last summer's Demi Moore vehicle "Striptease" in setup -- her character, like the ones here, turn exhibitionist to get themselves out of dire financial and familial circumstances, and they, like she, react to their situation with more than a little trepidation. In execution, however, you can't find two more different films. The latter movie was ineffective because it used Moore's well-toned and -oiled bod to promote better living through stripping. "Monty," however, fully realizes that its basic story is plenty rich in comedic value, and mines the predicament for all it's worth. Moore's "Striptease" daughter (played by her real-life kid) was on hand to obviously condone her actions. A child also plays a part in "Monty," but he is allowed be an active component of the humor and has no ulterior motives. There are themes here (concerning determination and self-confidence), but "The Full Monty" never attains the level of naked preachiness that "Striptease" tapped into regularly.
The actors are uniformly good, and thankfully so. If the performances weren't as game or farcical, the movie could have easily sank. Carlyle, in particular, carries Gaz to memorable lengths. In one early scene, he does an impromptu strip to "You Sexy Thing" to demonstrate to his cohorts how easy it all is. Haplessly swinging his jacket around his head and unintentionally pelting the chortling onlookers with pocket change, he creates a character that is both self-effacing and reckless. Everyone else appears to be having a jolly good time too, whether pelvic thrusting their way through the unemployment line or getting moves for their routine by studying "Flashdance."
"The Full Monty" is so intent on delivering a crowd-pleasing strip finale that its promised agenda brings around some of its few flaws -- several dramatic developments that center around the "will-they-or-won't-they?" issue feel unnecessary even if they do (no pun intended) flesh out some of the personality of the cast members. And for those of you with no ear for thick foreign brogue (think "Trainspotting"), most of the dialogue and references will likely stump. A few subplots venture into problematic areas; one in particular not only feels modish but also underdeveloped and unnecessary.
Despite those errors, however, "The Full Monty" is still an exhilarating comedic blast. It has its head and heart in the right place and succeeds in making you either laugh, smile or nod in agreement with every joke or sight gag. It even ends on just the right note -- even though some of the female audience will reasonably be a tad disappointed. Gaz and company may have quite a few shortcomings, but The Full Monty sure doesn't.
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/
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