|
|
|
The
Full Monty
(1997)
 
A decade after its original theatrical release,
this brilliant comedy has been re-released on DVD in a special
"Fully Exposed Edition."
Unemployed Sheffield steelworkers Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and
Dave (Mark Addy) are desperate to earn some money. Gaz is particularly
strapped for cash because his ex-wife is threatening to sue
for sole custody of their son because he's behind on support
payments. After they observe how many women are willing to
pay to see Chippendales dancers, they decide to give stripping
a try, recruiting their ex-foreman Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) to
teach them how to dance and holding auditions to round out
their troupe.
The original screenplay by Simon Beaufoy is a observant
piece about unemployed working-class men whose dignity has
been literally stripped away by an economic downturn and their
resulting insecurities. While it's not without its dark moments,
the humor comes from an achingly real
situation that the characters are faced with, as in many great
comedies. The film never becomes bleak, because even the more
serious scenes are played as black comedy. It's remains funny
while still touching on some very important issues. Peter Cattaneo's
subtle direction captures the lives of the characters and their
situation with a compelling yet naturalistic approach, wisely
avoiding exaggerating the comedy to a point where you
feel no real connection to the characters beyond laughing at
them. This film makes you care about them, too.
Cinematographer John de Borman (Photographing Fairies, Hideous
Kinky) uses soft, flat lighting to convey the mood of a depressed
industrial town, while the combination of an Oscar-winning
score by Anne Dudley (The Crying Game) and pop songs form a
sly soundscape that perfectly accents the humor.
Carlyle is outstanding as Gaz. For all of his character's joking
and laddish behavior, you can tell that he cares deeply about
his son, his best friend, and eventually even the new friends
he makes. Addy is equally impressive as Dave, whose lighthearted
demeanor masks a deep-seated insecurity. Wilkinson's Gerald
is believable when he can't bear to tell his wife that he's
unemployed and goes to great lengths to conceal it from her.
The rest of the cast is good, too, with Steve Huison as the
closeted gay former security guard Lomper, Paul Barber as an
older man called Horse who has a vast repertoire of
dance moves, Hugo Speer as Guy (who's selected for the troupe
because he's so well-endowed), and William Snape as Gaz's son
Nathan, who goes from merely tolerating being with his father
to encouraging him.
The "Fully Exposed Edition" DVD features a crisp
video transfer, although the print used for the transfer shows
some minor scratches and dirt at times. It offers multiple
audio options, including the original English audio track.
When it was released in the US in 1997, the original actors
redubbed their lines with weaker accents so US audiences could
understand them. I watched it with the original audio track
and had no difficulty understanding the dialog. There are also
interviews with the cast, plus commentary by Addy and Cattaneo.
The second disk offers numerous 'making of' featurettes which
are informative and shed new light on the film.
The Full Monty won the BAFTA's Best Film Award and
was also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. The "Fully Exposed
Edition" reveals that the movie has aged very well and
is still a brilliantly funny film with great heart. Highly
recommended.
-Danielle
Ní Dhighe
Other
Thoughts: Mark Moreland 
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Peter
Cattaneo
Writer: Simon
Beaufoy
Starring: Robert
Carlyle, Mark Addy, Tom Wilkinson, William Snape, Steve Huison,
Paul Barber
Distributor: Twentieth
Century Fox
Runtime: 91
min
Rating: R
Release Date: August
13, 1997
|
|
 |
|
