With the imminent arrival of Disney’s new series, what better time could there be to look back on one of the greatest British comedies of all time?
At its heart, The Full Monty is a film about traditional masculinity in crisis, of being cast adrift in a world changed almost overnight and finding purpose again by reinvention. What appeals to me personally is that it’s a film wholly concerned with sensitive male issues such as repressed homosexuality, male suicide and, perhaps most significantly, poor body image.
All these themes link in some way back to the umbrella issue of surviving in a post-Thatcher Sheffield, and whilst certain themes have been explored very thoroughly before and after Monty, others such as male suicide and negative body image are not nearly represented enough for men in cinema, or at least not with the same degree of frankness.
The whole concept of the group going nude on stage is a representation of how the traditional working-class man would have to change and embrace something entirely contradictory with entrenched norms and values to survive in the modern world. Given how drastically societal norms have changed since 1997, it will be interesting to see how the characters are now functioning in 2023.
Most will remember moments such as the Donna Summer dance in the dole queue, or the auditions on the factory floor, but the scenes which stand out in my mind are those that involve comedic bonding between the group, my favourite sequence being the football match near Parkwood Springs with the panoramic Sheffield skyline in the background.
More than two decades on and The Full Monty remains a sharp, witty, and poignant comedy-drama.
THE NAKED TRUTH: 5 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE FULL MONTY
1: Apparently some cinemagoers in the US struggled with the film’s accents so much that some were handed handy translation sheets for the Sheffield twang.
2: It was a huge hit over here though, raking in a massive £52 million at the British Box Office.
3: The original working title was “Eggs, Beans and Chippendales” – not quite so catchy!
4: The famous final strip scene was filmed at Shiregreen WMC, which is now derelict despite repeated attempts to save the building.
5: … And yes, it has been confirmed by the actors that they did indeed go the ‘Full Monty’ in front of 400+ extras and film crew.
