Mrs Henderson Presents

Now first and foremost I have to say that 'Mrs Henderson Presents' isn't a musical, I really should have paid closter attention to the reviews and articles I've been reading. IMDB even lists it more as a comedy than a drama and there is certainly a point in that. 'Mrs Henderson Presents' surprised me in many ways and I am more than happy to have finally seen it.

It is a little bit tricky to explain what the movie is about because it doesn't really focus on one single thing. Big parts of it focus of course on the life of Mrs Henderson (Judie Dench). The other important part of the movie is about the life and happenings around a theatre that Henderson bought more or less inconsiderately after the death of her husband. When the theatre business starts to struggle a bit, she and her manager decide to break new ground and start presenting shows featuring naked women, which evidently brings a lot of persuasion work with it.

The show is off for a real success and when the World War II arrives in London, the shows soon are more important to everyone than ever. As the shows are shown in the basement they decide to keep on running to keep up the mood of their audience and resist the bombardents of the Germans in their own special way. Even when the local government threatens to close it down, they manage to convince them that it's a good and important role they play for their audience (primarily US Soliders during that time).

I enjoyed 'Mrs Henderson Presents' much more than I ever thought I would, it is especially the special personality of Mrs Henderson and her manager, that feels absolutely refreshing in this movie. They are funny - but yet precise, vulgary - but always discrete and somehow they just can't be without each other. Now this movies is nothing of a romance, but the two of them are certainly the best business-partners that I've seen in quite a while.

A lot of the brilliance inside this movie derives from its actors, three of them in particular. Dench, who plays a supherb leading role, which obviously led to her Oscar nommination. Bob Hoskins who plays a splendid counterpart to Dench equally funny and sophisticated. And last but not least there is the wonderful Kelly Reilly who eventhough playing an underpart managed to bribe me with her radiant beauty.

To all those of you that are somehow prejudiced about 'Mrs Henderson Presents' just as I was before, I want to say that it definitely doesn't do the movie justice. Watch it anyways, give it a try and I can guarantee it will manage to sweep you off you feet before you even know it.