‘The Full Monty’ update mostly strips away the fun
For the men of “The Full Monty,” the glass is half-full. At best. More than a quarter-century after the 1997 feel-good British comedy “The Full Monty” became a cultural phenomenon, grossing some $260 million internationally on a $3.5 million budget and racking up myriad awards, nominations and wins, the original cast has reunited for an eight-part FX on Hulu series that picks up the stories of the main characters in present-day Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
If you thought things were bleak in this working-class, post-industrial city back in ’97, times might be even tougher now, with the gaps between the wealthy and the have-nots wider than ever, rampant unemployment, a failing health care system, an immigration crisis and oh by the way, everyone is a lot older but not necessarily wiser or happier. Despite a few mildly funny escapades, the best efforts of that most-welcome returning cast and some crisp and insightful writing from original “Full Monty” scribe and co-writer Alice Nutter, “The Full Monty” is on balance a dark and gloomy slog that has us wondering if we might have been better off just imagining how these characters’ lives were going to turn out, rather than seeing the often depressing “reality.”
Robert Carlyle’s Gaz is still a reliably unreliable small-time dreamer/schemer who is often on the outs with his now-grown son Nathan (Wim Snape), a policeman. Not that Gaz is doing any better with his teenage daughter from another relationship, the smart but rebellious and trouble-making Destiny (Talitha Wing).
Gaz still keeps in touch with the old gang, including the insecure Lomper (Steve Huison) and the gruff Dennis (Paul Clayton), who are now married and running a café; grumpy old Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), who holes up with his laptop in the café for all hours, commenting on the sorry state of the world; Dave (Mark Addy), who works as a custodial caretaker at the rundown Sheffield Spires Academy, which is run by his wife Jean (Lesley Sharpe). and Horse (Paul Barber), who keeps up a cheerful front but is battling serious health and financial problems. (Hugo Spears, who plays Guy, was fired from the series for “inappropriate conduct” during production, leading to the character being written off about halfway through the story.)
It’s great to see these fine actors reprising such memorable roles, and there’s a bounty of newcomers who do terrific work as well. (Talitha Wing in particular as Destiny delivers a star-turn performance.) We get some amusing set pieces, as when Talitha and her mates inadvertently kidnap a dog that has just won “Britain’s Got Talent!” or when Lomper’s attempt to get a prized pigeon to lay eggs ventures into “Ted Lasso” territory.
Mostly, though, “The Full Monty” is about conflict and betrayal, grief and disappointment. Marriages are in crisis, parents are indifferent or cruel to their children, friendships are tested, jobs are lost, tempers flare, financial hardships are everywhere. Some lives turn out better than others and we get some moments of triumph, but it’s a cold slap to the sensibilities to realize that for many of these folks, the highlight of their collective existence might have been that one night long ago when they took it all off to the sounds of Tom Jones’ version of “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” Is that all there was?