Mrs. Henderson Presents


3.5/4

Starring: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, Christopher Guest, Will Young

Rated R for Nudity and Brief Language

“Mrs. Henderson Presents” is a triumph of acting and storytelling.  The plot is nothing special, but the cast is top-notch and Stephen Frears is no hack director.  It’s a pleasure to spend 103 minutes at the Windmill Theater.

Mrs. Laura Henderson (Dench) has been a widow for all of a few days and she’s already bored.  Her friend, Lady Conway (Thelma Barlow) suggests a few things that she can do to fill up her time, chief among them being to spend money.  She buys a rundown theater on an impulse, and hires a producer, Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins) to run it.  The two don’t get along, but the show is a success…until everyone starts copying their idea.  That’s when Mrs. Henderson comes up with a revolutionary idea: put nude girls on the stage.

Before I go on, I must address the film’s outrageous decision to give the film an R rating.  Almost every time a woman is shown topless, the MPAA slaps the film with an R rating.  Unfair in my view, but there you have it.  Apparently, the ratings board does not know the meaning of the word “context.”  The nudity here is presented in a way that is anything but sexual.  In fact, the film celebrates the female form, and encourages people to be proud of their bodies.  In an age where young people, especially girls, are bombarded with advertisements and media that tell them that they aren’t worth anything unless they’re hot and have an even hotter boyfriend (hack…hack…”Twilight”…hack…HACK!  Excuse me…), I can’t think of a better message to send to girls.  This movie should be PG-13.

Judi Dench is best known for playing M in the latest Bond movies, but that’s just a small fraction of her talent.  Mrs. Henderson is an eccentric old bat who voices her opinions without regards to the consequences and likens being 70 to being an adolescent.  Dench has great comic timing, and has the ability to soften an often-abrasive character to become a matron-like figure without missing a beat.  This is certainly one of her best performances.

Bob Hoskins plays the “straight man” in the duo.  As Van Damm, Hoskins exhibits both frustration and affection for his odd duck of a working partner.  Their relationship is often tempestuous, but there is a kinship there.  In a strange way, he’s almost like a parent to Mrs. Henderson.

Supporting roles are ably filled.  British pop star Will Young has a great set of lungs and screen presence, but his role is small.  Mary Reilly is strongly reminiscent of a very young Cate Blanchett as the young nude girl, Maureen; she has a wit that’s as sharp as Mrs. Henderson’s.  Christopher Guest and Thelma Barlow are funny in small roles.

Stephen Frears has shown talent in many genres, from horror (“Mary Reilly,” unseen by me) to romantic comedy (“High Fidelity”).  The reason is obvious; unlike most directors these days, he pays more attention to character than anything else.  A movie is only as interesting as the characters that appear in it.

The film is virtually flawless.  Although the use of archive footage of WWII is effective as a news reel, it is not effective at setting the stage (this was probably due to budget restrictions, however).  Still, this is a great little movie filled with comedy and drama.

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