The Full Monty (1997)
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Six unemployed men in 1990s Sheffield form a male striptease act to overcome their hardships and secure a future.
The story
In the mid-1990s, the once-successful steel mills of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, have shut down and most of the workers have been made redundant. Former steelworkers Gary "Gaz" Schofield and Dave Horsfall resort to stealing scrap metal from the abandoned mills to make money. Gaz is facing trouble from his former wife over child support payments he cannot pay since losing his job. After seeing a crowd of women at a club for a striptease act, Gaz is inspired to form his own striptease group using local men, hoping to make enough money to pay off his child support arrears.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the mid-1990s, following the closure of Sheffield's steel mills, Gary "Gaz" Schofield and Dave Horsfall struggle with unemployment and financial hardship. Gaz faces a legal battle over child support for his son, Nathan. Inspired by a local striptease act, Gaz decides to form a male striptease group to raise funds. He recruits several men, including a security guard named Lomper, a former foreman named Gerald, and others named Horse and Guy. While Dave initially drops out due to body image issues, the group continues to practice. After a public rehearsal leads to their arrest for indecent exposure, the group becomes a local sensation. Despite initial reluctance and a final hurdle regarding the presence of men in the audience, the group performs a successful show. Gaz ultimately joins the others on stage in front of his ex-wife, and the act is a success.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Cattaneo
- Writers
- Simon Beaufoy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robert Carlyle · Gary "Gaz" Schofield; Tom Wilkinson · Gerald Arthur Cooper; Mark Addy · Dave Horsfall; Steve Huison · Lomper; Paul Barber · Barry; Hugo Speer · Guy; William Snape · Nathan Schofield; Lesley Sharp · Jean Horsfall
- Genres
- comedy; black comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- unemployment; fathers' rights; body image; working class culture
- Tone and mood
- comedy; heartfelt
- Premise and plot tags
- underdog story; buddy comedy; working class
- Content notes
- nudity
- Reception
- The film was a critical success upon release and an international commercial success, garnering near-universal acclaim and being described as 'cheeky and infectiously good-natured'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 96% · scale: percentage · review count: 55; Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA · Best Film · 1997 · win; European Film Award · Best Film · 1997 · win; Academy Award · Best Original Score · 1997 · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · 1997 · nomination; Academy Award · Best Director · 1997 · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · 1997 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the highest-grossing film in the UK until it was outsold by Titanic.; The film was adapted into a musical in 2000 and a play in 2013.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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