The Nearly Oscars: The Full Monty
Do you know a quoter? I mean, it’s impossible to find someone who quotes every film. But sitting in a room filled with one of your loved one who is foaming at the mouth to get a line in. Mainly because they’ve watched their favourite film so much that it leaps of their orifice to the atmosphere in a giddy way. Do not stop these people, take the slight irritation. This is passion at its finest. Sure enough, I’ve been sat there and have done the entire monologue of Hannibal Lecter’s taunt to Clarice.
But my fondest memory is my father who’ll still repeat the lines of Gary, Dave and co in one of Britain’s finest films The Full Monty. He’ll try to stop himself but he cannot. He loves the film so undeniably that the entire script has to slip from his lips in a wave of repetition. As a Northern lad and very akin to British humour – The Full Monty was right up his street.
Well no, it’s well up everyone’s street. Because it is one of the few films that really captures the spirit of Britain without being overtly racist or impoverished (which, by the way, those are things that do deserve to be captured on films but it’s nice to watch a film that is more about rallying together rather than the grittiness we all know exists). The film revolves around men on the breadline after their steel factory is shut down. Going to the job centre weekly whilst also
I don’t need to tell you how genius this film is. Need I remind you how brilliant the cast is? No. Mark Addy, Leslie Sharp, Hugo Speer, Tom Wilkinson…. The list is endless with how The Full Monty triumphs. Look deeper and The Full Monty is a perfect examination of mid-life for a man. Director Peter Cattaneo and Simon Beaufoy adeptly handle different elements of stunted men trying to make a quick buck when the world has failed them. All the while, it handles the working class environment they are in, homosexuality, depression and suicide with this sharp sardonic tongue that evokes humour with the pain. All this and without ever belittling the viewpoints of the women around them. Though there are contrasts and certainly a lot of talk about women, the female sex is never portrayed as inferior, offering their own ideologies against the nude men.
The film itself one a handful of BAFTA’s including Best Picture and Best Actor for Robert Carlyle. Whilst now, it would be hard picturing a film with such English sentiments translate well to the US (the lack of nomination for Pride this year just underlines that), it was lapped up at the 1997 Academy Awards but was trumped by James Cameron’s Titanic (dick). The lavish score, told through brass instruments that are akin to Northern factory bands, earnt a by Best Original Music Score award for Anne Dudley. But like a thong riding right up your jacksy, it’s hard to look back and see how a subtle story weaved with humanity and wit missed out because of a billion dollar sea investment.
The Full Monty is one of those rarities that you can repeatedly watch the film and find yourself quoting along. Cleverly weaving the sentimental storylines between the threads of comedy, for each character too, you can still rip off the clothes and find the naked themes of fatherhood, obesity and desperation. You might just find a dingle dong or two….
Maybe six.