The Full Monty

Starring: Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, Hugo Speer, Lesley Sharp, Emily Woolf
Directed by: Peter Cattaneo
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Six unemployed men decide to start a striptease show to make money.

Review:
Tim: I enjoyed The Full Monty. It's a cute dramedy, one that subverts our expectations and tells a story that feels unique. It's an entertaining movie. That's important to establish up front, because this is absolutely a worthwhile movie. What I can't comprehend is how it was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture! This movie is such a far, far cry from being at Best Picture level that all you can do is scratch your head and wonder how it could have happened.

Like I said, I enjoy this movie. It's an unconventional story. Six former steelworkers are out of work and their career prospects are dim. This establishes a realistic situation that millions of people have found themselves in during recent times. As the world economies shift from production-based to service and information economies, there's going to unfortunately be a lot of displaced workers. This is a grim reality. The quirk of this film is that in the absence of solid job prospects, these six men decide to start a male striptease. It makes slightly more sense in the context of the film, but there's definitely some "what?" factor involved in this decision. The movie follows these men and the trials and tribulations they face in attempting to put on the show and make money. It's the kind of story you shake your head at- it's so different than most movies. I really appreciated the uniqueness of this story.

And yet, despite its original take (which is its biggest strength), the movie doesn't have the gravity or the depth to be considered a great film. It simply doesn't. You learn about these men, about their hopes and their fears. You hope they succeed. And yet, the obstacles in front of them are supposed to feel like this great uphill climb. You're supposed to be inspired by their tenacity to succeed. And yet, it's to succeed in a Quixotic effort. A male striptease featuring men who don't have the look or talent to pull something like that off is absurd. It's hard to take any of it seriously. It feels too much like a comedy and the dramatic elements are missing. Sure, you can mine the characters to see what it looks like when men lose their jobs (as men more traditionally have identified with what they do) or you can explore the seldom-considered pressure men feel to fit a physical standard. There's some about fathers and sons and wanting your kid to be proud of you. There's some of all that here, but it gets a bit lost amid the attempts at humor.

I did think the cast was solid. I've always enjoyed Robert Carlyle as an actor and it was fun seeing him turned loose in this role. He has this ability to challenge the audience's conceptions of him while never completely alienating them. He's good here. Mark Addy is effective, as well. He is supposed to bring some of the humor and he doesn't disappoint. I really enjoyed Tom Wilkinson here. It felt like a stretch for him, but he delivers one of the strongest performances of the film. The rest of the cast was decent, but there weren't quite enough standouts.

The music is definitely worthwhile. The film's one Academy Award win was for Best Music, Original Music or Comedy Score. That felt like a win this movie deserved. The practice striptease scenes are among the best of the film. I have to give the ending of the film credit, too- it's absolutely memorable.

I feel a little bad with how I've characterized this film. The Full Monty is a good movie and that should be the headline. It's a success and a movie worth seeing, even decades after its initial release. It just feels so strange that this movie was nominated for Best Picture. It doesn't feel anywhere close to that, to me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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