Full Monty, The MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -2

This British comedy deals with the desperation of out-of-work men in Sheffield, England, who are victims of massive lay-offs. Gaz (Robert Carlyle), a divorced father of a young boy who idolizes him, cannot pay child support. Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) is a middle-aged married man who pretends he goes to work every day, and over-weight, insecure Dave's (Mark Addy) marriage is on the verge of collapsing. When Gaz notices that hundreds of women are paying big money to watch male strippers, he talks the others into forming their own group of male dancers. Out-of-shape, clumsy and clueless about dancing, the group experiences some hilarious mishaps and family misunderstandings as they secretly prepare for a one-time, show-stopping performance. Thankfully, the thick British accents and native slang make much of the crude humor impossible to grasp, but THE FULL MONTY still delivers plenty of laughs.

The phrase, "full monty," is a British expression for complete nudity. In spite of its offensive theme, the group of losers become friends who overcome family problems and win each other's respect and support. Gaz's efforts to raise money to pay child support and his loving relationship with his nine-year-old son Nathan (William Snape) may be misguided but certainly sincere. Nathan attends rehearsals and becomes the group's strongest critic, which results in an intervention by social workers. Although there are no scenes with frontal nudity, an abundance of rear male nudity is shown throughout the film. The aspiring dancers' lewd movements while wearing thong bikini-style underwear are very suggestive. An early tasteless scene of men peering at a rowdy group of women in a rest room serves no purpose. Many slang expressions and comments relating to male anatomy add to the film's crude humor. While most of these will not be recognized by American audiences, enough obscenities are understood to be offensive. An accurate count of offensive expressions would be impossible because of the thick British accents. THE FULL MONTY's crude theme, rear nudity and foul language more than justify its "R" rating.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Fox Searchlight, P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213