hyped garbage

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Blistering performances.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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 is not just for women, Britons, and homosexuals. I am non of these and I found this to be a great flick. It just happens to have male strippers from England. The movie is about the struggle to make ends meet, loyalty, and self esteem. These are serious issues, but only Brits could give each a silver lining. Well not just Brits, they just do it the best.As a comedy, I did not find the movie to be very funny. Some bits were humorous, but not much. It was mostly "smart," rather than "funny." It is rare for me to like a comedy that I did not find funny as this one did. Mostly just Brits get this kind of humour as it is plagued with British slang. I don't care that it wasn't very funny, it was still amusing, enjoyable and clever. Judging from the reviews, I might be the only one that thinks so.The Full Monty is about a group of men who worked at a steel plant that went down under and are now unemployed. Gary "Gaz" (Carlyle) loves his son and must find employment for unpaid child support payments in order to gain any sort of custody and wants to be with him no matter what. But his son is reluctant to bear witness to his father's misadventures. This subplot is perhaps the best one. His best friend, Dave (Addy) thinks that his wife has fallen out of love with him and must deal with being overweight. They stumble upon a strip club and see hundreds of women paying to see Chippendales. They get the idea to to become strippers themselves and go full monty (completely nude) to offer something new. They find the most unlikely guys to help: Their former foreman and choreographer, Gerald (Wilkinson), has lied to his wife about having a job and is worried about his impotence; Lomper is an ugly redhead who once contemplated suicide; Horse is a former disco dancer who still has the moves but not the looks; and Guy can help out most with the looks. That is what I love about this, the lead characters (Gaz, Dave, Gerald) are deeply written and the rest are deep enough and memorable. Despite being an English movie, there is no real offensive nudity. Just a few scenes with shirtless guys and butts briefly shown. That was the one element I was unsure about before watching this. I'm sure the Unrated version is worse. As a movie, I liked how everything was built up. But what makes this such a wonderful film is the themes of unemployment, loyalty and self-esteem. A bunch of guys with no jobs have to resort to do something anybody can do just to make a buck. In the beginning, we see Gaz and Dave stealing metal from the plant and trying to sell them. That is how desperate they are. The guys are too scrawny and too ugly to be strippers, but they do not care. Gaz needs the money fast or else he will lose the most important thing in his life. The others need money in order to keep their pride alive and keep their families together. That is were the self-esteem factor ties in. They know they're ugly and not lean, so they have second thoughts about following through. Dave is overweight, so he has the biggest problem image-wise. They have hit the rock bottom, so they feel completely worthless. At first none of them are up to it, but they have nothing to lose so they take risks and build up their confidence. Admirability towards these men grows. They are loyal and band together, but must stay together when the going gets tough. Each have their own reasons for joining, but all have the same reasons for thinking about quitting. Each man is a piece of the puzzle that is needed for a successful show and a rebuild in their lives.Not just one of my favourite British comedies, one of my favourites in general.

Gaz (Robert Carlyle), his best buddy Dave (Mark Addy), and his son are relegated to petty crime after everybody is laid off at the steel plant in Sheffield. They are struggling to find any jobs. Then one night, Gaz got the idea of stripping from a Chipendales show. He gathers a hopeless jobless crew including the former foreman Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) who has yet to tell his wife that he was laid off 6 months ago.Robert Carlyle is a likable schemer, and Mark Addy is a charming fool. Together they make a hilarious duo. The jokes are smart and funny. I love that Dave complains about Jennifer Beals' welding in 'Flashdance'. It is the marriage between the seriousness of the hopelessness of unemployment, and the embarrassment of male nudity. And just as it gets you laughing, it breaks your heart.

There are very few films these days that make me laugh out loud but this one managed it six or seven times! Having spent most of my adult life in the north of England, I find the humour in this one quite refreshing. It's not all fun and games though, there is quite a lot of drama to be found here and it's this element that gives the humour more bite. Great performances all round with (for me), Tom Wilkinson standing out, although they were all praiseworthy. Over all, a comedy set against the gritty reality of unemployment and all that brings. If, like me, you've been avoiding this one, don't put it off any longer, you can thank me later!SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDMy score: 8.7/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.