Review of The Full Monty (1997) by Kyle20Ellis — 18 Mar 2022

"When the going gets tough, the tough get go-going.".

Well what can I say about The Full Monty? Simply this; it is one of those films that made me laugh and cry sometimes at the same time, and more importantly it made me proud to be British. The Full Monty is just a wonderful film, engaging, funny and genuinely poignant in places.

The humour is often side-splitting, and the film is filled to the brim with many wonderful moments, the part when the "would-be Chippendales of the North" absent-mindedly gyrating to the radio in a dole queue was particularly inspired. And of course the dirty dancing antics. While it is very funny, it was poignant too. The Full Monty is a film about men's emotional short-comings, and these were explored in an engaging and profoundly touching way.

The script does have some hilarious moments, often verging on hysterical at times, but it never fails to be touching as well. Peter Cattaneo's direction is another plus, it is relaxed and sensitive, never taking itself too seriously. And the story is very engaging and beautifully written. Visually, The Full Monty looks lovely, the opening scene especially was beautifully shot, and the cinematography was skillful. I even liked the music, You Sexy Thing, Make Me Smile, Rock & Roll, We are Family and the Full Monty all to name a few were really pleasant and entertaining.

And of course, the acting is brilliant, every single person gives an honest and appealing performance. Starting with Robert Carlyle as the divorced father trying to maintain joint custody of his son, he delivers a really strong and vulnerable performance that serves as the film's core. Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, Tom Wilkinson and Hugo Speer give terrific support and manage to be really likable.

Overall, wonderful film, definitely worth seeing if you like movies that are both funny and touching.