Mrs. Henderson Presents ***

Mrs. Henderson Presents is a frolicking romp that highlights the history of London’s first nude review. Dame Judy Dench (Mrs. Henderson) plays an outspoken bored socialite whose late husband leaves her an absurd amount of money and nothing to do, so she buys a theatre. She hires Bob Hoskins (Vivian Van Damm) to run the theatre and power struggles, flirtation and bickering like an old married couple ensue.

This film is not nearly as bawdy as one might surmise; most of the nudity is actually quite tasteful. Although, there is some surprising full frontal male nudity that is actually pretty funny. Christopher Guest is fabulous as a stuffy old Lord who Henderson wraps around her little finger in the most amusing way. World War II breaks out in the middle of the film, but it manages to continue its initial comedic pace without getting mired in much sentimentality. There are some heavier moments in the second half of the film, but they are never dwelled upon enough to drag down the film, nor are they skimmed over so lightly they feel pointless.

For all the song and dance and bare skin, the best thing about this movie is still the chemistry and banter between Hoskins and Dench. But even as good as they are I don’t see why this is getting award nominations. This is a fun film, not too light and not too heavy.