Review of The Full Monty (1997) by Brandon H — 18 Jan 2010

This is just plain goofiness, but delightful goofiness. Could it have been brisker, smarter, and more streamlined? Of course. But the actors are into the material, even when the screenplay doesn't throw them any ropes, and for that we sympathize with their desperation even more.

It was a little bit of a let down, but I think that's because I still recall the huge hype from the 90s when this thing first came out. It still works, but probably not on the same scale. There are plenty of cliched, unwarranted lines and plot "conflicts" (give me a break, do you really expect me to believe this main character, the architect of the whole stripping idea, would bail at the end because their are men in the audience? And do really care about fatso and his wife? Or that orange hair guy wants to kill himself? Stop the false obstacles already.).

Maybe it's frustrating because each of these conflicts COULD have been more developed, but simply weren't. They were noted, then passed by. Not fair, and it winds up detracting from what everyone in the audience cares about-- seeing these run-of-the-mill, desperate guys of varying sizes and shapes and ages, gain the confidence and gall to strip naked in front of hundreds of people. That's what we want to see. There are great moments along the way, but almost as many distracting and annoying ones, too.

Great last scene, by the way. I was smiling the whole time.