The Full Monty

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The Cinderella story of 1997, The Full Monty was the most profitable film of the year and one of the highest moneymakers of all time, having cost only $3.5 million to make and grossing more than $200 million worldwide. Stripped of their pride and jobs when the local steel mill closes, the lads of Sheffield, England, are desperate for a way to pay the bills and rebuild their self respect. Inspired by a sold-out performance of Chippendale dancers, Gaz (Carlyle) convinces his buddies they will turn their lives around and find redemption by taking it all off in front of a paying crowd. Never mind that these rough-hewn strippers have neither the confidence, the bodies, or the sense of rhythm for their new vocation. In one scene the boys critique a female pin-up, and then are aghast when they realize women might examine their bodies in an equally uncompromising fashion. Indeed, director Cattaneo mocks his characters, but he also treats them with pathos and affection.