Reviews (83) 
Funny, funny film with a big heart
"The Full Monty" is one of those rare films that gets comedy and drama JUST RIGHT!! This is the story of Gaz, an unemployed former criminal who is trying to maintain his relationship with his son. When his ex-wife seeks full custody, he must find a way to start raising his support money. He gathers his mates and devises a scheme where they would put on a stripper show. Hilarity ensues.
Robert Carlyle is great in this movie, not nearly as severe and evil as his role as Begby in "Trainspotting." He demonstrates a softer side that allows the audience to root for him. Mark Addy and Tom Wilkinson give strong performances as friends Dave and Gerald, respectively. Dave struggles with his weight and his marriage while Gerald hopes to find a job quickly to pay his wife's credit card bills. These are real life situations these men face. It's all believable and human.
It's no wonder this film was among the five that year nominated for Best Picture. Curses to "Titanic" for being such a big deal! But the Oscars helped more people discover this relatively smaller picture (which I believe is only in terms of budget and gross) and now it has become a kind of cult favorite in the U.S.
One suggestion to American audiences: If you're going to watch the DVD, turn the subtitles on. The accents are thick, so this will help you understand it.
Overlooked British Comedy Is A Real Gem
Last year's cinematic underdog was the real deserving film at the Academy Awards. This comedy about a group of unemployed steel workers who decide to stage a strip show to raise money succeeds because it never lets the comedy mask the real desperation of these peoples' lives. Ostensibly the film is a breeze, the six actors who play the would-be strippers display perfect comedic timing. Robert Carlyle convinces as a scrappy down-on-his-luck ordinary Joe who can't realize he's his own worst enemy. Tom Wilkinson, who plays a laid-off foreman, starts off as a lower-middle class goon but - and to the film's credit - develops into a fully-fledged and sympathetic character. And Mark Addy, as the "fatty" who's thoroughly embarrassed by this scheme mixes toughness and vulnerability well. Far better and cannier than the big-bloated boat epic which swept the awards, "The Full Monty" is a comedy born of resilience in the face of despair. The film never sinks into pathos and clips along like the great old Ealing comedies. It was the best English-language film of 1997. END
I Live in the house where it was filmed!!!!!!!!!!
hey guys! i'm actually from Britain and firstly I'd like to say thanx to every1 who saw the film bought it or loved it! it's nice 2 know that the work of the british film making industry is not going unnoticed overseas!
i loved this film and moved house around a year ago! it wasn't until a neighbour had informed us that our film was actually used in the film and was included in the final cut!
the parts involving my home are quite long ones so watch put for them! here goes:
1, when they're practising in the lounge and are all stood there in their boxers feeling a bit shameful! 2 guys then come in and attempt to reposess his tv! they pick it up and turn round to find the rest of the lads stood there with no clothes on and i believe their words are 'put down and piss off'!
2, the second place where my film is featured is when robert carlyle and the fat guy are stood outside playing with the knomes in their ex-bosses garden! this was again my front garden which i have to admit is now a knome-free zone!
3, the third place where my house is featured is when they are in a bedroom and one of them is laid on a sunbed and i think carlyle enters with a pack of red leather thongs for them each to wear!
i know this isn't really a review so here's a quick synopsis!
the steel industry becomes non existant and all workers are made redundant. in order for carlyle to maintain contact with his son he has to provide for him which involves getting money! however not being work fans he entails his friends and they become strippers in order to make a few bob! the film follows the planning the set backs and they're eventual success! a gr8 film, great plot, great characters, great storyline and no matter how many times you see it you'll always notice something new and it'll never fail to have you in tears! enjoy USA!
Lookin' For Some Hot Stuff
The Full Monty is hard to categorize. It is very funny, yet it is heart-wrenching in places, with great performances by all the actors. So let's not worry about what it is, because it will leave you laughing and smiling for days. Seeing this movie will also boost your optimism and make you charge ahead on those dreams you have had on the back burner. The funny scenes are absolutely hilarious. You will want to watch them over and over. A motley group of unemployed British steel workers hatches a plan to be male strippers. Gaz, the main character, saw a group of Chippendales dancers pass through town on a one-time show with great success. Although his group lacks the looks and the moves, Gaz is not deterred. His primary motivation for this enterprise is to come up with child support money so he can spend time with his son. The human interest story is what makes you root for these characters. There is strong language, a scene of attempted suicide, impotence, strong male sexuality, and a homosexual scene. The working-class accents are unbearably hard to decipher for the first fifteen minutes, but you get used to it. The music is fantastic. This movie is so unique that I wish everyone would see it.
Outstanding in every respect
This is an exemplarary example of the kind of wry, sociologically observant humor that the English do so well (and that we do so poorly, if ever). A brilliant and touching portrait of Sheffield, out-of-work steelworkers, the English working class, gender relations, and much more. I've seen it perhaps a dozen times, and each time I not only have laughed at the same jokes, but have also noticed some nuance that I overlooked before.
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