by Daniel V. Garcia
Daily Lobo
The mocking of British politesse for comic effect is nothing new. Jokes of this kind were a staple of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," but I have always had difficulty laughing at them.
Perhaps it's the underlying pretentiousness that I can't get past. It's as if the humor is formulated in order to convey how smart the writer is. Maybe I'm too American and I need my humor on the verge of slapstick in order to elicit a chuckle. Maybe British humor is too scripted, thus losing the immediacy of the moment. Perhaps it's the pacing, but I just don't find these kinds of jokes funny. While I wish I could laugh at them, it is the vintage Cheech and Chong pot jokes and the Dave Chapelle poop jokes that invariably get me going. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's true.
That being said, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is the latest in a string of British nudges at prudish culture that loses roughly half of its comic value when imported to American soil. It borrows heavily from "Calendar Girls," the 2003 female perspective remake of "The Full Monty," a story about a group of men who strip in order to raise money for a good cause.
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The present story concerns Laura Henderson as played by Judi Dench, a cantankerous widow who buys and renovates the Windmill Theater in pre-World War II London and decides to feature all-nude girls in her productions by teaming up with stage director Vivian Van Damm, played by Bob Hoskins. As can be expected, the team meets with difficulty, but ultimately is granted permission to "tastefully" exhibit the nude women to their mostly male patronage. This is not a big deal, as the nudity in the movie is tame and will offend few.
Audiences who are attracted to pieces placed in historically accurate settings will appreciate this film, which revolves around themes of artistic freedom and values rendered obsolete by the advent of the war. An attempt is made to demonstrate the importance of entertainment as resistance art, particularly when the theater refuses to close during German air raids.
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" tries to cast as wide a net as possible by combining the risquÇ with schmaltzy comedy/drama in an attempt to capture a large and diverse audience. The plan backfires as the film stretches itself too far, and is thereby unable to invoke a true emotional response from its audience. It is simply a matter of the whole not equaling the sum of the parts.
I fell asleep three times during its course, and if faced with the option to see this movie or to take a nap, I would recommend the latter. Unless one is middle-aged, the innocently muttered obscenities of Dench's character can't compete with the gratuitous stand-up one typically sees on Comedy Central. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing, but it's true.
