Dir. Stephen Frears
Writ. Martin Sherman
Act. Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest

I was apprehensive when I went to the movie theater to see this movie because, well it's a British comedy/drama and they can be very long, boring, and sometimes not very funny. After I left the movie theater I determined that I saw one of the best movies of 2005 and that the Academy missed the boat by not nominating this movie as best picture.

A recently widowed high society British woman, Mrs. Henderson, played by Judi Dench (Pride and Prejudice,) buys a run down theater as a hobby and hires Vivian Van Damm, played by Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit,) to run it. Even though they clash like an old married couple, their vaudeville show is an initial success until every one in London copies them. Instead of closing down, Mrs. Henderson thinks of her dead son, and decides to add nudity to the show to boost attendance and to give soldiers some excitement before the head to war.

The chemistry between Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins was wonderful. They acted like an old married couple, which I am sure the director wanted them to be, but they did such a believable job, that it almost pained me to not see them on screen together. The acting by the rest of the cast was also quite good, especially Christopher Guest (Best in Show) who played the stuffy Interior Minister Lord Cromer hysterically believable. In fact, the entire cast gave a very believable performance. I can believe that everyone of these character were real.

The writing was very funny and quick witted for a British comedy. However, writer Martin Sherman did a very good job of showing the serious side of Mrs. Henderson. The sub-plot to the story was hidden in plain sight and it aroused the curiosity every time it was introduced. He does it smartly by having Mrs. Henderson fly to France, before the outbreak of WWII, a few times a visit the grave of what you can only assume is his son. But she never talks about it to anyone until the final act of the movie to explain why she opened the theater in the first place and why she decided to make it a nude show. It was a very powerful statement and it worked wonderfully. Another scene that was powerful was when Mr. Van Damm was reading a newspaper that lead story was how the Nazi's were rounding up Jews in his home of the Netherlands. The silence between Van Damm and Mrs. Henderson was beautiful.

But like I earlier stated, it is funny. The one-liners are hilarious because they are so British and Judi Dench gets to deliver most of them in that incredibly lady like, way. When she is at the audition for the girls who are to do the nude performances she notices that they are all foreign woman, she leans into Van Damm and says, "This won't do, we must see British nipples." Then in the final scene where she is explaining why she has the show to a crowd, she is helped on to a box by an American soldier, and Dench looks at him, half puzzled and half loving and says, "You're American aren't you?" The soldier replies yes, and Dench says, "Americans, strange people, lovely manners." I am sure it doesn't look that funny but in context and her expression, the line was great, as was most of the humor in the movie.

This is a very good movie and is a must see for anyone with a heart. Its very good cinema and makes a great statement about that doesn't involve politics, overall this is a must see and a must have for the DVD collection.

Brian - the Naked Gun