The Full Monty (1997)

Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.

Director:

Peter Cattaneo

Writer:

Simon Beaufoy

Stars:

Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy

Won 1 Oscar. Another 35 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Carlyle	...	Gaz
Mark Addy	...	Dave
Wim Snape	...	Nathan (as William Snape)
Steve Huison	...	Lomper
Tom Wilkinson	...	Gerald
Paul Barber	...	Horse
Hugo Speer	...	Guy
Lesley Sharp	...	Jean
Emily Woof	...	Mandy
Deirdre Costello	...	Linda
Paul Butterworth	...	Barry
Dave Hill	...	Alan
Bruce Jones	...	Reg
Andrew Livingston	...	Terry (as Andrew Livingstone)
Vinny Dhillon	...	Sharon

Storyline

Six unemployed steel workers, inspired by the Chippendale's dancers, form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.

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Plot Keywords:

steel worker | unemployment | male stripper | northern england | dole | 

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Taglines:

Six men. With nothing to lose. Who dare to go....

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Todo o nada

Filming Locations:

Haugh Lane, Sheffield, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$244,375, 17 August 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$45,950,122

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$257,938,649

Company Credits

Production Co:

Redwave Films, Channel Four Films, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the final sequence, the films choreographer was lying just in front of the stage, out of sight of the cameras, shouting out instructions to the actors.

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Goofs

In the funeral scene, Lomper is playing the hymn "Abide with Me" on cornet, and his fingers are clearly visible playing the notes. He plays every note correctly until the last line, where he swaps the two notes on "[ab]-ide with [me]" - he should be playing straight down the scale Bb,A,G,F and in fact plays Bb,G,A,F.

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Quotes

Gerald: [Gerald is seated at a computer at Job Club accessing data while Gaz and the others are talking and playing cards and not filling out requested forms] Button it, you lot. Some of us are trying to get a job. Ey! And it says "No Smoking" in here!
Gary 'Gaz' Schofield: Aye, and it says "Job Club" up there. When was the last time you saw one of them fuckin' walk in? You forget, Gerald, you're not our foreman anymore. You're just like the rest of us: scrap.
Gerald: Shut it! Right?

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Crazy Credits

The film shown behind the opening credits is "Sheffield...City on the move", made in 1971 for the Sheffield Publicity Department.

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Alternate Versions

There are two english versions of the film: one is the original UK version, the other is the US version which is partly redubbed to replace some british dialects and slang phrases.

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Connections

Referenced in Runaway, a Twist of Fate (2009)

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Soundtracks

Land of a Thousand Dances
(1971)
Composed by Chris Kenner
Performed by Wilson Pickett
Published by Longitude Music Co.
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
Reproduced by kind permission of Burton Way Music Ltd. and Rondor Music (London) Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Either you love it, or you hate it...

Unemployment is no joke (as an ex-pat Brit living and sometimes working in the US, I can confirm that with a vengeance). But sometimes, with a little vision and a lot of confidence (or desperation - take your pick), you can either find a way out of the depths of despair, or at the very least lighten the load a little, even if only for a short time. You take your pleasure wherever you can find it.

This movie will undoubtedly strike chords with those who have been unemployed long term, especially in the north of England (or in the Midlands or indeed anywhere. Depression - economic, social or clinical - knows no boundaries).

It's a smile, unless of course it *doesn't* strike a chord with you. Then you'll see it as a politically charged documentary with a few unnecessary laughs that ring very hollow.

But this isn't another Boys from the Blackstuff and I don't think it ever intended to be. The characters in this story are less focussed on pleading "Gissajob" and more inclined to say "Gissasmile". There is social commentary, yes, and it's well made (in my opinion, obviously), but the bigger message, I think, is that when life sucks - and it can do, most of the time - you don't have to give in to the feelings of utter despair.

You can fight back, you can refuse to be bowed, and for everyone in the awful predicament of being willing and able to work but being unable to find anyone willing to give you a chance, there is the possibility of finding a ray of sunshine, even if only temporarily, in an otherwise grey and depressing condition.

And it's those little rays of sunshine that help to give you hope. A laugh here, a giggle there, a bit of extreme silliness once in a while - it all helps keep you sane.

And that's what is enjoyable about this movie: it's the story of a group of men trying to stay sane even if it means losing some of their dignity in the process. And the one thing you notice towards the end of the story - and it's certainly capable of being true of real life - is that in raising their own spirits, the main characters here also raise the spirits of those around them.

They also remind me of myself and some of my friends. I could see myself taking part in something like this, albeit reluctantly (since I'm pathologically shy), just for the hell of it.

And doing something just for the hell of it is what makes this movie one of my favourites.