The Full Monty

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, The Full Monty follows a group of unemployed steel workers, including Robert Carlyle’s Gaz, Mark Addy’s Dave, and Tom Wilkinson’s Gerald, as they attempt to make some money by forming a male striptease act. It’s an agreeable premise that’s employed to persistently watchable effect by Cattaneo, as the filmmaker, working from a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, delivers a familiar yet affable endeavor that’s enhanced by the top-notch efforts of its various stars – with Carlyle, Addy, and Wilkinson transforming their respective characters into compelling figures one can’t help but root for and sympathize with. (Carlyle and Addy are terrific here, to be sure, but it’s ultimately Wilkinson’s scene-stealing and completely engrossing turn that remains the picture’s continuing highlight.) And while the movie’s been suffused with a number of memorable, crowd-pleasing moments and episodes, including a fun sequence wherein the guys subtly start dancing while in line at an unemployment office, The Full Monty‘s inability to become the spellbinding comedy that one might’ve anticipated admittedly does affect its overall, ultimate impact – although it’s clear that the film, which is capped off with a completely satisfying finale, is certainly agreeable (to put it mildly) from start to finish.

*** out of ****