It is rare that one finds a film that is a comedy, drama and musical all in one and great in all genres. The humor is seriously funny, the drama very dramatic and sad at times, and the musical element vibrant, flamboyant and daring. The film simply would not have been the same without Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins in the lead. They are FANTASTIC together! I thought Will Young was also very good, and he even gave us a peek-a-boo at his bum! (Well, erm, Bob Hoskins did more than that...). All elements of the film work in perfect harmony to bring a thoroughly enjoyable masterpiece. This is one of my all-time favorite films.

Mrs Henderson Presents tells the charming, and more or less true, story of the Windmill Theatre in London. It's the 1930s. Newly widowed Laura Henderson buys a theater and enlists gruff, old Vivian Van Damm to manage the place. After some fits and starts Mrs. Henderson hits on the idea which will make the Windmill a sensation. Her show will feature naked girls. This sort of thing just wasn't done in the United Kingdom back then. Well, it would be done now.The movie succeeds largely because of the performances of Judi Dench, playing Mrs. Henderson, and Bob Hoskins, playing Van Damm. Mrs. Henderson is eccentric and mischievous, Van Damm is quite serious-minded. Put these two together and you're going to get something good. The relationship between these two characters is at the heart of the film and Dench and the ever-exasperated Hoskins bring that relationship to life beautifully. Van Damm isn't the only man Mrs. Henderson flummoxes. Her negotiations with the Lord Chamberlain, who must approve her show, over exactly what bits and pieces of the female anatomy will be displayed, and how they will be displayed, is priceless. Christopher Guest is wonderfully, and entirely appropriately, flustered in playing the role. You'd be flustered too if you heard what comes out of Mrs. Henderson's mouth. The woman has no filter and for this film that is a very good thing. She'll definitely keep you entertained.The movie is witty and charming and, for a story about naked girls, very tastefully done. Those naked girls are very much in the background, both in the show within the movie and in the movie itself. Kelly Reilly plays the lead girl, Maureen. We get to know a little bit about her character, the rest of the girls remain a largely anonymous bunch. The story really isn't about the girls, it's about Mrs. Henderson and Van Damm. And that's fine, it works well, especially with the excellent performances by Dench and Hoskins. But there is the sense the girls maybe should have had a little bigger part in the story. Other than Maureen none of the girls really have any story at all. There may be minor misgivings here and there, maybe some things could have worked a little better. But all in all Mrs Henderson Presents is good fun. And when World War II, in the specific form of German bombers, intrudes on the fun the film does well with its serious moments too, finding the right tone. Maybe not a masterpiece but Mrs Henderson presents is definitely worth seeing, a charming little movie to put a smile on your face.

Not awful but pretty damn boring and uninteresting. I feel compelled to write this brief review just to warn others - even though I have barely ever written reviews. Dench, Frears, Hoskins, Young? So much talent, you'd expect something decent. The story is boring, the intrigue not very intriguing and so on. There may be a historical benefit to watching this but I can't see it. Were it not for the odd body part, I wonder if the movie would have attracted so many to theatres. I can't see any saving grace and I wish I could.

Watching "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is for the most part a fun type of experience with enough drama contained within it to keep it generally interesting, with much of the movie using the theme of war as a backdrop. The Windmill Theatre was a very real theatre in wartime London, and this is its story during those dark and troubled years.Mrs. Henderson is played by the wonderfully talented Judi Dench. She's a recent upper class widow in 1930's England who - basically for lack of anything else to do in the absence of her husband - buys "The Windmill Theatre" in West London and refurbishes it with the intention of putting on vaudeville type shows. Knowing little about how to run a theatre she hires Vivian Van Damm - played by the also very talented Bob Hoskins - as the theatre manager. When the theatre runs into trouble after an initial spurt of success, Mrs. Henderson hits upon an idea - a show featuring naked women; shocking to the sensibilities of the very prim and proper English society of the era.The movie is highlighted by the portrayal of the relationship between Mrs. Henderson and Van Damm. It was both moving and funny at times, and Dench and Hoskins played superbly off each other. Partway through the movie we discover that Mrs. Henderson had a 21 year old son who died in France in the First World War. This makes Mrs. Henderson a very sympathetic character. The death of her husband she seemed to move past fairly easily, but clearly the death of her son was something she had never fully come to terms with. After the nude review becomes a success, the Second World War breaks out, and Mrs. Henderson and Van Damm have to fight battles with the government to keep the show open. The authorities - never sympathetic to a nude review in the first place - now argue that with the Germans bombing London it's dangerous to have so many people congregating. Mrs. Henderson argues that - the theatre apparently being underground - it's as safe a place as there is in London for people to congregate during the bombing. The movie reaches its emotional climax when Mrs. Henderson essentially gives a speech to the assembled soldiers outside the theatre who've gathered to protest the government's decision to close the theatre down. Her speech - given as a mother who had lost her son in the "war to end all wars" - was very moving, highlighted by these words: "When you lose a son in the war you do know, no matter what anyone might say, that his death has been in vain. It won't stop others from following, other wars, other young men." In the midst of her speech she recounts a story about her son which explains what she sees as the value of a nude review.Overall, this is a well done movie. It's moving at times without being too heavy, and it features some good musical performances during portrayals of the stageshow. As you might expect there was a fair bit of nudity, but it was - as the show itself was - very tasteful nudity. Moving as it may have been, I can't say that I considered the subject matter to be especially "important." It's interesting - perhaps a snippet of history that might be called a "curiosity" more than anything. It's certainly enjoyable to watch, though. (6/10)