'The Full Monty' review: Sharply written, well-acted, but lacks original's magic

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Simon Beaufoy — Oscar winner for 2008's "Slumdog Millionaire" — has returned to his most improbable triumph in this streaming reboot of the 1997 hit, "The Full Monty." (British screenwriter Alice Nutter is co-creator of the series.) For a quick recap, six unemployed Sheffield steelworkers strip for cash, in a Chippendales-like climax. For the series, Beaufoy and Nutter have the original cast, notably "Gaz" (Robert Carlyle) and best friend Dave (Mark Addy), who is married to Jean (Lesley Sharp) — in this series a school principal — and then some: Newcomers include Gaz's estranged teen daughter Destiny (Talitha Wing) while Jean has a new friend from school, her colleague, Dilip (Phillip Rhys Chaudhary). 

MY SAY "Monty" was the rarest of Hollywood birds 25 years ago — tiny budget, big box office — thanks to the cast, writing, cultural resonance and payoff. But all these years later, the magic is a little harder to put a finger on. In fact, Beaufoy created real humans set against inhuman forces — political, economic and social — while such upended lives as these demanded a radical re-set. That a Chippendales punchline would be part of this re-set was the surprise and, in no small measure, joy of "Monty."

But a series? In eight episodes? That's hard to put a finger on too. This reboot happens to be good too but scarcely makes the case that the rootstock was so compelling that an update was inevitable or necessary. Life has gone on for Gaz, Dave, Lomper (Steve Huison) and Horse (Paul Barber), but in increments only. The single reference to that legendary performance arrives in the eighth episode almost as an afterthought — so insignificant that it's nearly forgotten by all, now relegated to a faded newspaper article set in a picture frame. 

 Beaufoy and Nutter do want to make the case that what's happened to these lives since then is the better story, or the more inspirational one. Like the movie, there's still that same prevailing sense (or belief) in triumph over adversity and love-conquers-all. Then as now, "The Full Monty'' is a staunch sentimentalist, but the setbacks, disappointments, and hard grind of daily life always come first. There's no getting around that and never was. 

To make all this work, they've added new characters with their own back stories, or deepened those of the original cast. As a married couple, Dave and Jean have suffered a terrible trauma. Gaz has since remarried (and divorced), while his fathering skills remain negligible. Destiny, his daughter, has her own traumas, and nascent ambitions (music). Horse is nearly homeless, and like everyone else, depends on the generosity of Lomper and his husband — yes, Lomper's gay — Dennis (Paul Clayton), who together run a neighborhood bakery shop. Meanwhile, original cast members Tom Wilkinson (Gerald) and Hugo Speer (Guy) barely appear on-screen at all. (It's unclear why, although Speer did tell The British press he was "sacked" for inappropriate conduct.)

There's a long connective story arc to the series, but each episode is also stand-alone, typically told from one character's perspective. Best of those are Lomper's and Horse's, but — as good as she is — Wing's Destiny never quite fits into this discursive tale of old men and their lives of quiet desperation. 

Best of all is Beaufoy and Nutter's writing. Buoyant and funny way back then, it's a reminder — along with the cast — of why we cared in the first place. 

 BOTTOM LINE Good, sharply written (and acted) series that lacks the sizzle, pop and magic of the movie.