Fish Out of Water (The Full Monty and Calendar Girls)

Common in humor is the "fish out of water" story: Ralphi May, a white guy, going to an all-black movie theater, Dave Chappele's stand-up bit about being driven to the middle of the ghetto by his limo-driver, a story I've told about the time I went to Harris Stowe for work, only to be selected as a talent show judge for an all-black talent show and audience.
When the gender roles are reversed in The Full Monty and a group of "older" women nearly bare it all for charity in Calendar Girls, these are two other examples of the fish-out-of-water theme used to advance the humor in both films.
Men aren't supposed to strip, that's for women! But what happens when a group of men lose their jobs and have to make money stripping? These guys experience a reversal of gender roles and gain insight into what it's like for women to do the same thing. Mark Addy's character, an overweight working man, fears how the women in the audience will react to his portly shape. Roberty Carlye's character has to to learn how to dance erotically on stage while in the presence of his son. Tom Wilkinson's character has to maintain his masculinty even though his wife gives him his lunch in a pink lunchbox. I wasn't always persuaded to laugh by the British Humor, but the film's funniest moments happen when the men have to learn how to strip, how to prepare themselves to bare all on stage. The insecurities that men must feel having to strip often do not come into mind when they think about women stripping. It's just supposed to be normal for a woman to strip, thats what some choose to do. But with their backs against the wall, the gang in The Full Monty must do the same, showing that whether its men or women stripping, we all share the same fear and insecurities over body image and reputation that comes with revealing all to strangers.
Sticking to the fish-out-of-water theme, let's turn our attention to Calendar Girls. I didn't think the film was funny, but not that it needed to be as it was more of a "cute" film, so still enjoyable. While the women posed in their calendar for a good cause, raising money for a hospital, their efforts for a good cause quickly led to a distorted reputation for the women as seen by a photographer and his staff after the success of their calendar. Getting ready for a photoshoot, the photographer asks them to get nude, assuming that thats just something they do. Humor does not ensue, as Julie Walters character marches off the set, explaining to Helen Mirren's character that she just isn't comfortable with whats happening. The film is more of an exploration into how the women's efforts toward a good cause can be turned into exploiting their methods toward achieving their goal. Here they started out trying to raise money for a hospital, and are then appearing on the Tonight Show and expected to get naked for a photo shoot. I say it is a "cute" film because as the audience we go on the same ups and downs that the women do throughout the movie. They are all good, decent women and I cared about the characters throughout the ordeal of raising money for the hospital, and then dealing with the repercussions for their posing nude.
The movie had funny moments, such as when Mirren's son walks in on her taking off her top, or when the women's husbands are waiting for the final results of the calendar (as discussed in class it is as if them are waiting for the news of the birth of their child, with the photographer acting as the doctor with the good news). I wouldn't characterize the film as a comedy, as there are some dramatic moments, but it was a cute film that used the fish-out-of-water theme to show the pros and cons of their appearing their very popular calendar