The Full Monty (1997)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Boring

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Improbable smiles dot the ads for non-comedies from ''Mrs. Brown'' to ''In the Company of Men,'' but in fact this summer at the movies has been no laughing matter. Not until ''The Full Monty,'' the irresistible tale of unemployed steelworkers in Sheffield, England, who contrive a bold money making scheme. Shy, gruff or paunchy as they are, these middle-aged men are persuaded to try stripping to raise funds and bolster damaged self-esteem. Brightly acted and casually hilarious, ''The Full Monty'' exploits this gimmick in witty, trenchant ways that are always generous, never cruel.Robert Carlyle might seem like a strange choice to play Gaz, if you remember him only from "Trainspotting," but one of his first roles was in Ken Loach's "Riff-Raff," which took place mostly on a construction site where the itinerant workers lived off the land. He has a daring here, as if he's walking on a wire and won't fall if he doesn't look down. He doesn't know himself if his plan has been inspired by courage, or bravado."The Full Monty" is about more than inventiveness in the face of unemployment. It's about ordinary blokes insisting that their women regard them as men--job or no job. If they're reduced to stripping to pay the bills, well, a lot of women know all about that. This is the undertone, and yet the movie develops a broad, healthy band of humor. It's bawdy, but also gentle and good-hearted, and I felt affection for the characters.

THE FULL MONTY was one of those movies that HURT to watch: by the time I left the theater, my face was actually sore from smiling. It's laugh-out-loud funny and moving at once. The predicament our heroes find themselves in is one that all too many of us have experienced at one time or another. (I wish I'd thought of doing something like this when I was really down and out- and in better shape...) Robert Carlyle has long been one of my favorite actors- in part because of this movie (not to mention HAMISH MACBETH or 28 WEEKS LATER); he's great as the down-and-out father forced to do SOMETHING to distance himself from The Dole and all its attendant stigma. The scene of the guys standing in line listening to music that gets their proverbial engines running had me laughing out loud in the theater. (I remember a scene from HAMISH MACBETH that STILL brings a smile to my face. A newcomer to his jurisdiction comments on his name by saying: "To be or not to be- THAT Macbeth?" "No," replies Carlyle: "THAT'S Officer Hamlet.")

In the 1970's, Sheffield, England was a booming city that had a very uplifting economy and steel was the hottest staple that came out at that time as a public relations informer told me. By the 1990's came around, due to lack of funding, a lot of the steel mills were sadly foreclosed. Unemployment was on the rise, people had to seek jobs elsewhere and those who have built their reputation in these companies struggled to adapt to either menial jobs or just plain stayed home and just collected welfare checks. Gaz (Robert Carlyle "Once Upon A Time") who's a divorced man lost custody to his teenage son as his wife found another man, who happens to be more financially secure than him. He continues to make sporadic visits on occasion to see his son Nathan (Willian Snape), but goes beyond as he makes Nathan a close companion. Desperate for money, Gaz finds a way he can make a substantial amount of cash. After hearing about a group of male strippers called the Chippendales come to town they seem to make a rather handsome profit in a rented hall that's usually packed. Gaz along with his friend Dave (Mark Addy) believe they could make the same amount by putting on a similar show.The only problem is that the gentlemen they recruit to bare their all are just average looking people, not the same type of prim and dashing individuals that are the Chippendales. And what's even worse is that their dancing skills are even worst than me (which is bad because I'm in theatre). The rest of the ragtag wannabe strippers include a former factory foreman Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), and a drifter named Horse (Paul Barber) who in spite of a bad hip is able to teach them a few moves. What's very curious to me is why in the world would these women be interested in seeing not so good-looking guys take their clothes off after getting much satisfaction from the Chippendales? Gaz suggests that they might get the upper hand if they're brave enough to go the full monty by baring all. The whole idea was trashed from the start as they fear that their bodies just don't have that mass appeal to get ladies the attention as one fears he's too skinny, the other fears he's too obese and the other is just too old to bear all.In all seriousness, "The Full Monty" touches on issues about finding work and that even though it's great and rewarding to have a job, there's always a possibility that the company you work for will not be around forever. And when you lose that job because of foreclosure you feel like everything you have done was all for nought. Sheffield is the primarily example of a once sprawling city where the power balance between men and women were abolished because men in that town were unable to provide for their families. Gerald who has not had a job in six months has been lying to his wife. But when he could no longer provide for his family, his wife wants him to break up. This might have happened in Gaz's situation with his wife before the movie takes off. The film closely links Dave's insecurities is to do anything to avoid becoming jobless. In fact the closest relationship is with Dave and his wife.The cast is entirely British and most people who live on North American soil may not be familiar to this group of relative unknowns. Carlyle is probably best known for his role as Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin) from the TV series "Once Upon a Time", but even though he is the leading performer here, his performance is not the best one here. The real standouts are Addy's Dave and Wilkinson's Gerald. We root for the men not because they're bearing their gifts to the ladies, but because these men are trying to win back their livelihood so they could become more employable. Wilkinson seems to be the most comfortable of the trio, but his opportunities are quite scarce and it shows. Too bad that Paul Barber's Horse doesn't get much airtime. He seemed more energetic of the characters but there was not much story to make him more developed."The Full Monty" is one of many films to feature the poor state of the British economy In some ways it's a bit of an homage to "Brassed Off". Even the brass band featured in a dire situation in an early scene was just pure irony. But it's still a good comedy and even though it's over-the-top in content, the situation the characters face are real and may reflect that of the situation of the economy we're facing as I speak.

Sometimes the timing of a film's release is so accidentally perfect that it captures the mood of the public and becomes a hit. Such a film is The Full Monty. Made on a meagre budget of £3 million, this small Sheffield-set comedy-drama went to achieve unprecedented commercial and critical success. It became the highest grossing film to that point at the UK box office; was nominated for the prestigious Best Picture Oscar (losing out to Titanic); and scooped several BAFTAs including Best Film and Best Actor for Robert Carlyle. A fine haul indeed for a modest little production set in a run-down neighbourhood of the steel city.Struggling ex-steelworkers Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and Dave (Mark Addy) spend their days breaking into shut-down steel mills searching for scrap metal to steal and sell. Sometimes they are joined by Gaz's son Nathan (William Snape), his child from a broken relationship with ex-wife Mandy (Emily Woof). One day Gaz notices a number of women entering a local social club and discovers that they are going to watch a male strip show. He hits upon the idea of raising a little money by putting on his own show. Enlisting other unemployed desperadoes like his former manager Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), ex-security guard Lomper (Steve Huison), smooth mover Horse (Paul Barber) and well-endowed hunk Guy (Hugo Speer), the unlikely lotharios set about practising their dance moves and perfecting a raunchy routine. The stakes are upped considerably when some women spot the lads putting up posters to advertise their show. When the women laugh off their ambitious scheme, Gaz decides to up the ante by telling them they will be going "the Full Monty" (fully naked). "Nobody said anything to me about the Full Monty!" gasps Horse, but his protests come too late… the word is already out and the guys have a 400-strong audience of baying women to satisfy.In truth, The Full Monty could quite easily have turned up as a feature length TV-style drama - at first glance it certainly isn't an especially cinematic sort of film (e.g. a film that belongs on the big screen). Thanks to Simon Beaufoy's cracking script and the game performances, it transcends its small roots to become a thoroughly enjoyable story indeed. Performances that stand out include Carlyle as the desperate Gaz, Addy as the terribly self-conscious and overweight Dave, and Wilkinson as their once-proud manager, now reduced to teaching a bunch of 'commoners' to dance (as well as joining them in their potentially humiliating enterprise). Most of the performances are strong right down the cast list, but these three are a notch ahead of the rest. The dialogue is often very funny and the grim locations add to the film's sense of social deprivation and desperation. Like most comedies, repeat viewings gradually diminish the film's humour and freshness… but first time round it is a vastly entertaining film, successfully managing to generate a feel-good atmosphere within its grimmest of settings. Director Peter Cattaneo never really pushed on after The Full Monty – to date he has only made three other features (none of which match the giddy heights of this one). It's a shame that he hasn't been able to capitalise on such a phenomenally successful debut.As Yorkshire-based cinema goes, The Full Monty is the most successful film ever to have come out of the region. It's also one of the best.