Robert Carlyle has proven a multifaceted actor, and in this comedy of sexual politics we see him in a another new light, literally baring all for director Cattaneo's first feature.
A fixture at one of Sheffield's job clubs, Gaz (Carlyle) is always on the lookout for easy money to pay child support to his ex-wife. After seeing the Chippendales raking it in, Gaz enlists a bizarre troupe of fellow blokes to form a strip-group: including fat Dave (Addy), miserably aware of his love handles and his non-existent libido; Gerald (Wilkinson), the ballroom dancing ex-foreman who hasn't the guts to tell his wife he's been out of work for six months; Horse (Paul Barber), long in the tooth but a great little mover - and a plumber whose greatest asset is in his Y-fronts.
The central joke is that there's nothing funnier than a bunch of less-than athletic Englishmen prancing about in leather G-strings. Issues of the male body image are well thought out, despite the ludicrous notion that any woman would like to see this unlikely bunch with their kit off. The male characters are well "fleshed-out", although the female roles, especially the long-suffering wives, are given too little attention. With some original comic touches - the group silently practising their routine while queueing in the DSS is a stand-out - the film arives as yet another solid entry in the much appreciated movement of no-fuss, low-budget British films designed to genuinely entertain.
