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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Can I get a pint with that shake?

“Mrs. Henderson Presents”BBC FilmsDirected by Stephen FrearsWritten by Martin ShermanStarring: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, Will Young, Thelma Barlow and Christopher GuestRated R/103 minutesOpens Friday, Feb. 3Three out of four stars

The British: so polite, so proper, so unassumingly classy. Only the British could have made the Windmill Theatre what it was, and it is with that same class and dignity that the story of the theater’s claim to fame has been brought to the screen.

Though no doubt heavily fictionalized, “Mrs. Henderson Presents” tells the true-ish story of Laura Henderson (Judi Dench), a wealthy aristocrat whose husband’s death has left her, as she puts it, “bored with widowhood?I have to smile at people.”

With nothing else to do, she decides to buy an old, run-down theater and hires Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to produce a variety show that will run non-stop all day long. It’s a huge success, but soon other theaters start copying the procedure. So Mrs. Henderson, with Dench’s patented British spunk, decides to take it one step further: “Let’s have naked girls.”

And so they do-but not without first gaining permission from Lord Chamberlain (Christopher Guest) who censors such tawdry filth as nudity. The compromise they come to: The girls can be nude on stage but they cannot move-in other words, the theater’s show falls under the same guidelines as a nude painting.

People will mistake this movie for what it is not. While nudity is pretty constant throughout, it is never erotic and always completely tasteful. Anyone looking for salacious sexual content will be sorely disappointed.

In fact, much fun is made of the film’s sexual elements. When Mrs. Henderson and Mr. Van Damm are holding “auditions” for the all-nude revue, they casually (and quite hilariously) discuss all different kinds of breasts and emphasize the importance of “British nipples.”

Using World War II as a backdrop, “Mrs. Henderson Presents” shifts gears from time to time, transitioning from fanciful human comedy to serious melodrama. The old-fashioned veteran charm of actors like Dench and Hoskins is perfect for this type of material, and their performances keep the film going, even during its slow points.

The man behind the camera, Stephen Frears, might be the best director that no one has ever heard of. From gritty noir thrillers such as “The Grifters” and “Dirty Pretty Things” to the sensual period piece “Dangerous Liaisons” to the movie that reinvented romantic comedy, the great “High Fidelity,” Frears has proven himself as one of the most versatile and effective directors in the business. He does a great job here, putting a lot of nice touches-not to mention gorgeous visuals-on a story that might otherwise be more conventional.

Screenwriter Martin Sherman missteps in the third act, inserting an unnecessary storyline that forces the film into clumsily made arguments and trying to bring it all home with a ridiculous Big Speech at the end. The third act is a bit of a reach, both logically and emotionally. Still, warts and all, “Mrs. Henderson Presents” is irresistibly witty and entertaining-a worthy addition to Frears’ repertoire.

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