User reviews

Imagine the original film. Now take out the story. Then take out the comedy. And this it what your left with.

There's no real running story throughout the whole of the series. Its almost Like an anthology of living in Sheffield. Each episode has its own very thin plot. Each one as depressing as the last.

Yes we know this is based around the 6 down on their luck men from Sheffield, but at least the original film had humor to it.

The whole show is a complete waste of the talents of the cast. As well as a complete waste in getting t hem all back together.

There is hope in the 1st episode that you imagine the story will be them getting back together to do their show on a talent show, sadly this is dashed very early on.

Don't ruin your memories of a fantastic film by watching this.

To start with the positives, the cast was excellent, like the film and despite a few cringe worthy scenes the acting was on point too.

Being from Sheffield myself, I really enjoyed seeing parts of it on the show.

However, my biggest complaint was there was a real lack of direction, it was lots of little stories with slight overlapping themes, which made the whole season feel more like soap than a TV show.

It completely lost the happy go lucking theme of the film and really dug in deep to the problems the UK faces, with a real lack of comedy.

I appreciate TV shows taking a political theme but due to the lack of narrative, it felt often more that the show was preaching on its soap box than telling any story.

Overall, fairly disappointed by the show losing a lot of energy that made the film so good, pretty bored towards the end, glad it was only 8 episodes.

My Review - The Full Monty

My Rating 6.5 /10 Streaming on Disney

The original 1997 movie The Full Monty was just over 90 minutes long .

It was touching ,funny and packed full of great performances and very very entertaining.

The 2023 8 part series is 8 hours long has some touching and some funny moments and the same talented cast but in my view is drawn out and not nearly as entertaining.

I'm not sure why 26 years after the original movie we need to see the vibrant characters of The Original Full Monty in their declining years.

They are all back and a bit jaded and unhappy including Robert Carlyle as Gary "Gaz" Schofield ,Mark Addy as David "Dave" Horsfall, Lesley Sharp as Jean Horsfall, Hugo Speer as Guy ,Paul Barber as Barrington "Horse" Mitchell, Steve Huison as Lomper and Tom Wilkinson , who looks and sounds so unwell as Gerald Cooper .

We can at least thank our lucky stars that they do not perform a reprise of The Full Monty strip show in the series .

Of course there are some new characters son's daughters etc and the series is set in the Britain of today all though there's no mention really of current politics just the problems resulting from them including unemployment, homelessness teenage delinquency and the state of the Health system .

The plot line with Lomper and the racing pigeon I thought was just silly and took up far to much of the story .

I just got a little tired of the repetitive nature and predictability of the script by Simon Beaufoy who also wrote the wonderful original screenplay for the movie.

All the performances are good but in my opinion it's just a very average series and I hope it doesn't encourage follow on multi episode series of other great British movies like The Calendar Girls , Kinky Boots, Notting Hill or Brassed Off featuring the original casts years later let's just keep the memories of the original.

Was not sure they could replicate the magic. They did. And returning twenty five years later, seeing how the guys were now, was better than I imagined. A mixture of laughs, pathos and heartbreak. The situation for the blue collar workers is still an almighty struggle by and large, and there is the same political tinge that things have not really got better up north, still largely ignored. The original cast obviously carry it, but new characters too, to flesh it out. And to cap it all, the backdrop of the Steel City, run down in places, beautiful backdrop though. All in all, really glad to revisit The Full Monty. Would certainly not object to some more.

'The Full Monty (2023)' is a sequel series to 'The Full Monty (1997)' that follows the cast of that movie as they navigate their daily lives. It doesn't focus on performing at a strip joint (there's only one nod towards the group's iconic stage show), instead spending its time charting the various stresses and struggles of these working class characters. It mixes family drama with social commentary, bouncing between its cast members so that they've pretty much all got at least one episode dedicated primarily to them (except for Tom Wilkinson, who kind of just sits there, and Hugo Speer, who only makes a handful of appearances). It takes quite a while to get into its groove, with a couple of notable dips here and there, but it eventually ends on a fairly strong note (even if the way it handles a certain significant element of its ending is notably strange). Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, Paul Barber and Steve Huison all reprise their roles really well, and the writing typically does these legacy characters justice. They're joined by a few newcomers, the most notable perhaps being Miles Jupp, but these are given perhaps a bit too much attention considering they aren't really who we came to see. Still, everyone does what they need to do and they mostly do it well. It's not a great series - and it's not particularly necessary, either - but it's enjoyable enough for what it is and it has a couple of stronger episodes in its back half.

It won't be for everyone, but it felt perfect for me.

It's not like the movie and it took a while for me to realize how relevant the title still was despite the fact that there really isn't any stripping in this show - at least not the way you might expect.

The stripping is of facades, expectation, beliefs, assumptions, and that lie we all try and tell that "Everything's fine." It's about human connection. Vulnerability, helplessness, breaking things, trying to fix them, breaking them again, and still trying.

This is probably the most human show I've seen in a long time. There aren't really good characters and bad characters. There's just people, with all the beauty and flaws that come along with that.

I came to love just about every character on the show. I laughed, I cried, I was even scared for them at one rather amusing bird related incident.

This is by far one of my new favorite shows and I am so grateful to everyone who made it happen. Best thing I've seen in a long time.

I love it, not because it's funny as the movie (although there are some really good laughs), but because it shows the actual real life, the good and the bad, and all the ugliness of modern society, that's supposed to be more advanced than it was in the past.

It also shows small and not so small good and beautiful things, that make life worth living. It also reminds us to pay attention to people we care for and to listen not only with your ears, but with your heart. Because someone might need your help, your friendship, your guidance, or even just a kind gesture or word, and you should recognize that, before it's too late.

The movie was fantastic - heartfelt, funny, well written. I was excited that a follow-up TV show was in the works. However, nothing could have prepared me for just how bad it would turn out. Abysmal writing, mean-spirited jokes, nonsense plot lines, and a belittling preachy overtone. The superb cast do their best with this - but it's a lost cause. Total garbage. I watched every episode but it was a real turgid slog. The whole thing just gets more ridiculous as it goes on. An episode where characters get "lost in the woods" is particularly baffling (why don't they ring each other? Why aren't they hungry? Why not just walk out - they mange this the next morning easily enough! I could go on and on about the plot-holes and nonsense writing but hopefully this review is enough to make you save your time and give this a big miss.

How anyone can leave a review of a series based on watching half the first episode is totally baffling. It's also totally their loss.

I will admit that I was a little undecided after episode 1 but decided to stick with it. So glad I did.

Dont expect it to be like the movie it isn't. It is though important that you have seen the movie.

I dont normally write reviews but in this instance, just felt the low ratings were really unjustified.

In fact, this isn't really a review lol Just stick with it watch more than one episode.

A totally different story to the original movie but with the same charm, humour,pathos, characters and scenery.

I'm slightly biased as a one time resident of Sheffield.

Just give it a chance.

Three episodes in and I can't get over the faux pas that is the cafe Big Baps, I understand the comedic value of the name but Sheffielders call them Breadcakes. I am digging in though and hope I get over it as we rarely see Sheffield in the spotlight and intrigued to see how it unfolds. The star of the show is Dean he is the hook to keep me watching. Carlisle seems to have sucked on a few too many helium balloons for some strange reason and Addy plays King Robert as he does in everything so we have to assume he plays himself in everything. It doesn't shape up to the original film which was outstanding.

A very weak storyline. Felt like it was almost going out of the way to target a young audience and forcibly being inclusive rather than natural and fluent. (Korean billionaire working and living in a cafe???) awful, awful sub plot. The episode that was basically useless and unnecessary was the one with the asylum seeker. I don't really understand what this had to do with anything???

Overall very disappointing and overly far fetched rather than natural and flowing. Really cringy in parts and fails to do the original movie any justice. I found some episodes almost impossible to sit through but stayed with it and enjoyed brief glimmers of that the film could have been.

I have fond memories of watching the 1997 film and I'm in no way one of those people that say a remake or sequel can spoil a movie from the past, it can't. The original film will always be what it was.

This follow-on tv mini series delivers how real life turns out. There's more elaboration on personal lives. Hardship, relationships, challenges, the nitty-gritty and the warmth that having good people in your life can bring.

It showcases real life in a typical working class city in the UK. The cast were great. An older version of their younger selves we remember from the late 90's. We can't forget this is over 25 years on from then. The world is a little different but the core of the characters remain the same albeit aged with what life brings.

The storylines take on a very modern view of today's world.

I've enjoyed each episode. There's a lot of drama, scandal, character devolpment and surprises thrown in.

The scenic pictures of Sheffield is charming. Good northern humour is thrown in to the mix of some deep storylines.

At only 8 episodes it had me wanting more.

This is a very different beast to the film but well worth a watch and persevere with if it seems to dip a bit in the middle. Some of the episodes are stronger than others, but all have their memorable moments. Social politics are very much central to this show. School & nhs underfunding, mental health services, poverty, housing issues, bullying, the benefits system are all fair game. However, that doesn't mean it's not funny; it's just not a gag a minute but their are several laugh out loud sequences. It's definitely worth staying with until the end of the series. The last episode is very moving. Pleased this worked, as loved the film.

This show is 100% a slow burner. When the first episode came on I was worried, really really worried. The full Monty is my all time favourite film, I was upset for the fist 30 mins of the first episode, however stick with it and the original charm begins to shine through again, If you like the original film, you should definitely stick with it and keep on until at least episode 3. It's sad moving, bleak and funny, the same three things that's made the first one so good, it just dose it in a different way. I do however miss the orchestra throughout, that the first film had. The music is good through. Overall It could be bleaker but it works well.

The good news is that The Full Monty TV series of 2023 is just as warm, witty and enjoyable as the phenomenally successful 1997 film with all of the original cast members returning 25 years later. Writer and creator Simon Beaufort continues the adventures of his much loved characters from the movie and carries them over into this 6 part TV show.

I was skeptical at first whether this would work but once we see Mark Addy, Robert Carlisle, Paul Barber and the rest of the gang on screen any fears are immediately dispelled by the familiar humour, witty banter and socio-economic observations of life in current day Sheffield. The only depressing thing is that not a lot has changed for the area in all that time, in fact some things have gotten worse due to broken promises and lack of funding in deprived areas of the UK by a string of successive British Governments and Prime Ministers.

Apart from that sad fact the other significant change from the film is that there isn't the same pre-occupation with forming a Chippendales style dance troupe to make ends meet, a plot device that served well for the film and gave it some notoriety but wouldn't work 25 years later. It is referred to in one episode as a nice homage to the original but this isn't what The Full Monty in 2023 is all about, after all getting your kit off again being 25 years older is a big ask and I'm not sure we would want to see that. However the central theme of friendships, relationships and coming together as a community to overcome adversity remains intact.

This show has a big heart, warmth and depth and it feels rather like meeting up with old friends. My only criticism is that Tom Wilkinson isn't given much to do here despite being front and center of things in the movie. New characters are introduced, particularly the younger generation, which makes it feel like Waterloo Road (2006) at times but once you get used to this mix of young and old then you can settle in and enjoy the welcome return of this comedy drama.

As a fan of the movie, I'm sad to say the series was somewhat disappointing. The writer's seemed highly confused about what they wanted it to be! Was it an adult comedy or teen melodrama? It got caught between the two and failed to deliver for either category as a result.

Overall it's worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do, but it's a series I won't be recommending to friends or family. Honestly, if they were intent on reviving the story, another movie probably would have been the better idea. This was just eight episodes of unnecessary dragged out story with very little pay off in the end. And they didn't even do the full monty! Lol, what a waste.

With the tremendous cast available, it could and should have been so much better.

Just binge watched the series, didn't mean to bit it was so good we couldn't stop.. The series follows on seamlessly 25 years on from the film. It holds the hard life on the dole as the film portrayed and takes us on a very credible journey in the lives of our heroes. New characters have been introduced that seam easily into the storyline. The writers have really thought about what would have happened over the 25 years and have developed very creditable storyline around the old characters as well as the new ones, resulting in a quite mesmerising take for the viewer to enjoy. If you enjoyed the film, this is a must watch series.

I watched the first 4 episodes and wasn't highly impressed - the daughter character was in the first episode a lot and she was quite annoying, the story lines seemed forced, not particularly funny and the main characters were lacking the chemistry that they had in the film. I was going to give up watching the rest but, fortunately, I didn't. Episode 5 onwards was a vast improvement and I'm very glad that I persevered until the end. The last three episodes especially have really good chemistry between the main characters, heart felt moments and several laughs which is all very reminiscent of the style of the film. I recommend this.

I'm a big fan of the original film so I was hoping the series would be an exciting thing to watch. It's not. It's rubbish. It's time of your life you won't get back. The script is really poor, they've just tried too hard and didn't manage to deliver. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Is it both? No one really knows. Really boring storyline, characters hard to connect to. It's just not funny at all. I understand people have bills to pay and Disney just grabbed the opportunity but this series is something that should never have happened. Its a money grab. Keep your good memories safe. Don't bother watching. And Hugo Spear being demonised for hanging around naked in his own trailer??? Wtf??

Brilliant show the government should be made to watch it to see how true life it is here in Sheffield. Is so accurate. Great using the full monty to tackle and raising awareness of modern day issues due to all the cuts. The characters are all great even the new ones. Loved the film and this TV series is just as good. I'm definitely proud to say I'm from South Yorkshire. The location and all the settings are great. Hopefully it brings more tourism as it shows the big hearts of our region . As it is in lots of northern regions. Great to see a series highlighting the North and not just London. Hopefully international people watching it can understand the language.