Film Talk: Looking Back – Baring all with The Full Monty

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, 1997's The Full Monty is one of the most treasured cinematic efforts of the 20th century, and more than deserving of the cult status it has retained for over 25 years.

Starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer, this Sheffield-set flick tells the tale of six unemployed men – four of them former steel workers – who decide to form a male striptease act (à la The Chippendales) in order to make some cash. When the boys are met with scepticism and laughter at their plan, leader of the pack Gaz (Carlyle) declares that their show will in fact top that of the renowned Chippendales dancers because they will bare all and go "the full Monty".

Despite this one being very much a comedy at heart, the film also touches on serious themes such as fathers' rights, unemployment, depression, homosexuality, and working-class culture.

Though it had a talented cast at its core, this one was never expected to be a huge hitter. But would the box office return a bit of surprising magic?

Once a city on the up, Sheffield has fallen somewhat into ruin after the closure of steel factories and the loss of thousands of local jobs.

Former worker Gaz is facing the prospect of losing his son because he can't pay for joint custody, and his friends are faring little better.

Best pal Dave (Addy) is down in the dumps and convinced his wife has fallen out of love with him. Lomper (Huison) has to look after his mother and is struggling with his mental health. And Gerald (Wilkinson) has been lying to his wife for half a year, pretending he still has a job when in fact he is unemployed. But could the lads' salvation be in the most unlikely of places?

After stumbling across a Chipendales dance act at a local working men's club and marvelling at the number of paying women in attendance, Gaz realizes that if they can do it, so can he, and his financial woes may be solved by stripping.

With Horse (Barber) and Guy (Speer) added to the line-up, the boys pull together to rock the city back to life with a show that will see them go all the way. They not be young, they not be pretty, they not be very good – but they're there, and for one night only, they're going for the full Monty!

Upon its release The Full Monty was praised by critics far and wide, and in an incredible surprise it went on to gross over $250 million from a budget of only $3.5 million.

Until it was outsold by Titanic, it was the highest-grossing film in the UK, and won the BAFTA Award and European Film Award for Best Film. Further gong glory came with Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, with a win of the latter.

With superb performances from all involved, and a particularly brilliant dynamic between Carlyle and Addy, The Full Monty stands as one of British cinema's finest ever exports, and is a joy to indulge in time and time again.

This is what feel-good comfort blanket films should look like.