A comical group of unemployed and socially dysfunctional men plan to make money by creating a strip-tease act. Unemployed and out of luck, Gaz and Dave find themselves without the command of their lives expected of real men. They prove to be incompetent petty criminals during one heist, letting the spoils, like their happiness, slip from their grip. Nathan, Gaz's son, accompanies them on their hair-brain schemes, unhappy with his father's idea of visitation rights. Sneaking into a male strip club, Gaz eyes the female audience screaming in adulation of the male archetypes. While incredulous that women would fall for what he views as a sham, he describes the debacle to Gerald, his unemployed former supervisor, and they nearly get in a fight. Gerald deflates Gaz's attempt to save his self-esteem, reminding Gaz and Dave that women wouldn't bother ogling at their less than attractive physiques. The state of the union is not a happy one with Gaz or Dave. Dave is having trouble consummating his marriage and Gaz needs money for child support, if he wants to keep seeing Nathan. Gaz believes the solution is right in front of their eyes: become strippers and they can make a load of money and prove themselves to be the most of what women want. Recruiting the help of Gerald, the only one with "dance experience," they assemble a dance troupe of ne'er-do-wells, making up for lack of talent with enthusiasm and a little hubris. But when it comes to the moment of performance, they all must face the music despite the obstacles in their way, no matter what size they may be! Funny and likable characters along with a good script create a surprisingly (after viewing the trailer) and sensitive look at friendship, sex, and unemployment. The soundtrack has some of the late great disco hits we have all come to love. When industry disappears, the film tells us, more than jobs are lost. Men lose their sense of identity as breadwinners and as appealing and suitable complements to the opposite sex. They change into icons of bad health and regressive behavior. The seven male characters in this story have lost the machinery that has all along kept the cogs of family and society turning. The needs are varied; a boy needs a father; a marriage needs understanding; a secure place is needed in a changing world. The solution here is to accept oneself, as fat or skinny or as unfitting to the stereotypes that kept a strong male ego intact for so long. Men built machines and may believe they thus recreated themselves, but men are not machines. The old factories are closing and new work is available, building new roles in relationships and a new sense of self-worth. Film written by Simon Beaufoy, directed by Peter Cattaneo, director of photography: John De Borman, B.S.C., starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, Hugo Speer. Top of Page | Table of Contents | Home Page Copyrights:
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