Letting It All Hang Out
“I believe in miracles! Where you from? You Sexy Thing!” These lyrics, sung by Hot Chocolate not only for the protagonists’ dance rehearsals but also during the closing credits of the British comedy The Full Monty, summarize the theme of the film which focuses on the plight of six men who all need miracles in their lives. Sheffield, England, once the site of a thriving steel mill, which has been closed and thereby leaving many steelworkers jobless, is the backdrop against which this film is set and the catalyst for changes the characters experience.
At the beginning of the film, friends Gaz and Dave attempt to steal a beam from the mill where they formerly worked. Gaz’s son Nathan reluctantly helps them. Nathan is the most well-adjusted male character in this film and is Gaz’s stabilizing influence. The three major protagonists are Gaz, Gerald, and Dave. Lomper, Horse, and Guy comprise the other three. Their goal is to find employment in order to make money and to regain a sense of self-worth. Each man needs a transformational miracle for his own personal reasons as well.
I like the realization the men had that women would evaluate them the same way they critiqued women. This role-reversal adds a layer of gender politics to the movie that makes it appealing. In fact, if women were in these roles, the film would not be as engaging as it is with this average group of Yorkshiremen. It isn’t erotic or sexually explicit but a commentary on the societal and psychological effects of losing ones job as a result of lay-offs for various business, technological, or political reasons.
Gaz, the quintessential Peter Pan, cocky, desperate, and with limited options, is on the dole and seven hundred pounds behind in his child support payments. His wife has remarried a man who provided well for her, and she has a responsible job herself. Gaz and Mandy have joint custody of their son Nathan who loves his father but doesn’t like to stay at his apartment because he says it is never clean or warm enough. It is almost as if Nathan is the adult in this relationship, and Gaz is the reckless, irresponsible playmate.
After Gaz sneaks into a performance of the Chippendales and notices the reactions of the women, he hatches a plan to solve his financial problems. He and other men will dance and strip but unlike those “pooves” will do the full monty and bare all. Eventually he persuades his best friend Dave and their ballroom-dancing former supervisor Gerald to join this endeavor. While they are jogging, Gaz and Dave add Lomper to the list when Dave rescues him from a suicide attempt.
What motivates Gaz after his arrest for indecent exposure and Mandy’s restraining order against his seeing Nathan is that he needs to repay his son for financing his venture in order to have joint custody and to see him. The arrest is reported in the newspapers and causes the liquor distributor to change his mind about providing beer on consignment because people are buying tickets from him. Still, on the night of the performance, Gaz can’t go through with the show because men are in the audience as well as women. Finally Nathan arrives with Dave and gives him a pep talk which pushes him onstage.
Gaz essentially wants desperately to have money to prove to his ex-wife and her husband that he can also provide for Nathan. Although not a traditional role-model kind of father, Gaz loves his son and wants to take part in his life. Through this experience, Gaz regains a sense of accomplishment and learns that removing his clothes onstage isn’t as devastating and humiliating as being stripped of his role as a father.
Gerald is a dignified, ambitious, proud man who was once a foreman at the steel plant and now pretends to his wife that he goes to work every day although he has been unemployed for six months. Trying to keep up appearances, he dresses in suit and tie each day and takes the lunch his wife prepares for him. Gerald’s wife still shops with the credit cards and plans vacations. When he tries to say no to her, he can’t form the words. He’s in a most uncomfortable dilemma.
One low point for Gerald is when Gaz and Dave sabotage his interview for a position he knows he could easily manage. Reluctantly, Gerald agrees to audition dancers and to choreograph their performance. Eventually he becomes enthusiastic about the project. The motivating factor for Gerald is the repossession of his house, car, and some furniture, which causes his wife to let him know how disappointed she is in him because he couldn’t confide in her. She tells him that she can deal with losing their possessions and even having the neighbors know about it but can’t bear his deceit.
Gerald feels not only worthless, as do the others, because of the ego-damaging effects that loss of job and financial difficulties bring but also because now his wife knows that he isn’t the kind of man and husband he wants to be. His loss of pride is restored when he decides just this once to take a risk and do something completely out of character. He is offered the job he wanted which also boosts his confidence.
Dave is overweight and sees himself as much less attractive than he is. His wife Jean loves him and is supportive, but that isn’t enough to give him the confidence he lacks. She is working and he isn’t. Joblessness causes Dave to be impotent sexually and emotionally. When Gerald is worried that he might have an erection during the show, he confides to Dave who tells him he is asking the wrong chap.
Dave is horrified that women will look at him with disgust when he strips. He and Gaz rate women on a scale from 1 to 10. He tells the others that the woman one of them described as having breasts that are too large might have a good personality and then says none of the women will care what their personalities are like. His character represents the superficial way that many people judge each other and themselves.
Although he rehearsed with the others, he couldn’t perform (pun intended) until he had a confrontation with his wife. Bags packed ready to leave, Jean accuses Dave of having an affair when she finds his g-string. This motivates him to confess to her what he’s been doing. Almost in tears, Dave tells her he can’t go through with it and asks who would want to see him strip. Predictably, Jean tells him she would; therefore, Dave feels desirable and sexy to his wife and his performance is for her.
Lomper still lives with and cares for his invalid mother. He is still the security guard at the steel plant. He is introduced to the plot when he attempts suicide and can’t get his car started. Dave helps him start his car and then realizes he is trying to asphyxiate himself and stops him. Lomper’s life is dismal since he has no friends, still lives with his mother, and guards an empty building.
The only enjoyment Lomper has is playing the trumpet in a band. Through his new venture, Lomper forms friendships, finds a lover, and even experiences camaraderie with the band when they play “The Stripper” after his publicity in the newspaper. The band plays for his mother’s funeral and at the strip show. Lomper gains a sense of belonging and confidence.
Horse and Gerald are the only ones who can dance when they start rehearsing. He is also older than the rest of the men, the only one who is black, and has a bad hip. One funny scene is when the men decide they need to practice before an audience, and women members of Horse’s family sit there barely suppressing laughter. Apparently, Horse is self-conscious enough about his appearance to have ordered a penis enlarger (at least I think that’s what that was) despite what the others speculated that his nickname implied. He remains motivated throughout the film despite any reservations he has.
Guy is well-endowed, handsome, physically fit, but not very bright since he keeps trying to danced up the wall the way Donald O’Connor did in Singing in the Rain. Somehow he thinks he can do it and keeps falling on the floor whenever he attempts it. He is chosen to join the troupe because of his physical assets that will appeal to the audience. Guy’s character isn’t well-defined. The main function he serves is as Lomper’s love interest. The scene in which they become attracted to each other shows their eyes meeting and locking in a long gaze. Then they hold hands at Lomper’s mother’s funeral. Guy stays the same throughout the film. The viewer just learns more about him.
Each of the main three characters believes in a miracle and gains self-confidence. Being out of a job and worried about money brings with it a desperation to take risks. All of the characters risk baring themselves before an audience in order to transform their lives. Those who struggle with the decision learn valuable insights about themselves and each other. It is a different kind of male bonding and rite of passage than is usually portrayed in film and is done humorously and engagingly.
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