Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)

Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Kelly Reilly, Christopher Guest, Toby Jones, Anna Brewster, Rosalind Halstead, Natalia Tena, Sarah Solemani, Thelma Barlow. [R]

True-ish tale of cheeky old widow, Laura Henderson (Dench), purchasing a defunct movie house in 1930s London and remodeling it into a variety and revue theater. She hires impresario Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins) to manage it, and after initially failing to turn a profit, she decides the productions should feature female nudity in the tradition of the Parisian music hall, Moulin Rouge. Agreeable yet uneven movie should be hitting its stride when it’s decided the “show must go on” even during the bombing raids of the Blitz, but that’s when hackneyed soap opera creeps in most pervasively (the fate of Reilly’s performer, anyone?). Like the movie itself, Dench is too “cute” by half, but the twinkle is genuine; Hoskins keeps pace with fine color and gusto. Turned into a stage musical in 2015.

56/100