The Full Monty (1997)    Fox Searchlight/Comedy    RT: 91 minutes    Rated R (language, some nudity)    Director: Peter Cattaneo    Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy    Music: Anne Dudley    Cinematography: John de Borman    Release date: August 13, 1997 (US)    Cast: Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, Hugo Speer, Lesley Sharp, Emily Woof, Deirdre Costello, Paul Butterworth, Dave Hill, Bruce Jones.    Box Office: $45.8M (US)/$257.9M (World)

Rating: ***

 I, like many others, never expected The Full Monty to become the surprise sleeper hit of summer ’97. Although the audience at the advance screening I attended seemed to enjoy it, I didn’t think it had a chance against major studio big-hitters like Men in Black, Face/Off and Air Force One. Who would have ever guessed a low budget British comedy about male strippers would prove popular with American audiences? It took a lot of people, including critics, by surprise.

 For one thing, it’s actually legitimately funny while touching on serious subjects like the unemployment situation in the UK, the main reason why six ordinary men put together a striptease act in which they plan to go “the full monty”. Unless you’ve been living in a cave since 1996, you know exactly what that means. Uh huh, these guys plan to take it ALL off! Believe me when I say The Full Monty is neither crass nor exploitative. It handles its very adult premise with class and maturity, qualities rarely seen in comedies made in the US. I actually shudder to think what Americans would do with the same premise. In all likelihood, it would star Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Jonah Hill. Yikes!

 Gaz (Carlyle, Trainspotting) owes 700 pounds in child support to ex-wife Mandy (Woof, Velvet Goldmine) who threatens to terminate his visitation rights with son Nathan (Snape) unless he comes up with the money. He’s been unemployed since the steel mills closed, a dilemma shared by several others in Sheffield. He and best mate Dave (Addy, Jack Frost) have resorted to stealing scrap metal from the abandoned mills to make ends meet. Gaz comes up with the idea of forming a striptease act after seeing the crowd of women waiting to see the Chippendales at a local pub. Their first recruit is Lomper (Huison, Coronation Street), a suicidal former security guard from the mill. Next is former supervisor Gerald (Wilkinson, In the Bedroom) who’s been hiding his employment status from his wife for six months. The group is rounded out by Horse (Barber, Formula 51), an older man with superior dancing skills and Guy (Speer, The Interpreter) whose physical endowment makes up for his lack of dancing skills. The guys reluctantly agree to go the full monty even though they’re not as physically gifted as the popular Chippendales.

 For me, one of the most interesting things about British-made films is the speech patterns. I’m referring to heavy accents and culture-specific slang. It takes some getting used to, that’s for sure. Over the years, I’ve developed an ear for it; even so, sometimes it’s still hard to make out what they’re saying. There’s a great deal of Sheffield slang used in The Full Monty which works to the film’s advantage in that it deals with working class people, many without jobs. Having the characters speak like Shakespeare-trained thespians would be something of a disconnect. Director Peter Cattaneo made a wise choice in casting actors that aren’t traditionally good-looking by Hollywood standards. It’s great to see Carlyle take on a less intense character than the one he played in the previous year’s Trainspotting. Addy contributes a great supporting role as Gaz’s portly pal who, at one point, tries wrapping himself in cellophane as a means of promoting weight loss.

 The Full Monty also touches on other serious issues like depression, suicide and fathers’ rights without getting weighed down. It’s a near-perfect blend of comedy and drama. I laughed frequently while watching The Full Monty. My favorite scene is the infamous “Hot Stuff” scene where the guys dance to Donna Summer’s hit song while waiting in line at the job center. I also love that the guys strip to “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (Tom Jones version of course) in the climactic scene. This brings up the burning question of whether or not we, the movie audience, also get to see the full monty. LOL! I’ll never tell, you have to see it for yourself, but it’s totally worth it.