And here's to you, Mrs. Henderson

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" could have been great if its script and direction were as strong as its two excellent leads, Bob Hoskins and Dame Judi Dench, who got an Academy Award nomination for the role.

The film, directed by Stephen Friars and based on a true story, begins with a funeral for Mrs. Henderson (Dench)'s wealthy husband. After a brief period of mourning, Henderson quickly grows tired of widowhood and decides to spend her fabulous wealth on a pet project: starting a musical revue.

As luck would have it, she stumbles upon a closed theater and quickly buys it up. She knows nothing about theater, so she hires Vivian Van Dam (Hoskins) to run it because, she says, he looks "jewish" enough for the job. Their show is a smash at first but soon, audiences begin to lag.

Much to the astonishment of those around her, Henderson is not fazed but instead suggests that the revue go nude. The rest of the film explores how the scandalous production lifts morale in World War II-era London.

Dench is a standout. This isn't really surprising, considering she's the sort of actress who won an Oscar for a movie in which she was only onscreen for eight minutes. She gives her character so many layers of depth that by the end of the film, she is much more than just a funny old widow: a suffering woman whose eccentricity has blinded her to the world around her.

Dench's comedic subtlety is also memorable. She delivers many of her wittiest lines softly, so that one has to be quick to catch them. Where many actresses might play up the gags, Dench's comedy has charm and grace. Much of the film's humor comes from Dench's unique acting style.

Hoskins as Vivian plays the foil to Dench's eccentric character. He often appears exasperated with Dench — the look in his face is priceless when he first meets Dench and she tells him she is "delighted" with the "jewishness of his face."

Overall, the pair's relationship is like that of a bickering couple. Van Dam desperately wants to dominate Henderson's decisions in the theater but finds, much to his annoyance, that he usually goes along with her. And as he judges the bare breasts of potential starlets, subtle sexual tension develops between Hoskins and Dench. Their chemistry is excellent.

Unfortunately, although the two leads give layered, interesting performances, the other actors seem more like caricatures than real people. Christopher Guest (of "This Is Spinal Tap") is funny as Lord Chamberlain, the repressed man who must decide whether or not to allow a play that exposes a woman's "midland" to an audience. But Guest, like the other supporting characters, lends little dramatic weight.

The film's central problem is that it doesn't seem to know whether it is a comedy or a drama. The first 40 minutes are pure comedy, with a swift pace and a focus on the awkwardness and scandal caused by Mrs. Henderson's production.

But when World War II begins, the movie loses its momentum and becomes boring. The film starts trying to meditate on war and acting as escapism. The result is many long, overblown speeches in which characters proclaim the importance of theater and assert that Hitler hasn't really won since he hasn't been able to stop the girls from stripping.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" also isn't helped by its repetitive structure. Apparently to add some levity to the "serious" second half of the movie, dance number after dance number is shown. Exciting at first, these numbers quickly become dull.

Visually speaking, at least, the dance sequences work well — which is more than can be said for the obviously green-screened shots of blitz-ravaged London. The outside world in these war scenes look as contrived and staged as the dance numbers, so ultimately the world presented is unconvincing.

If the film struck a better balance between comedy and drama, and had a stronger script and better direction (you know, minor details), it might have lived up to the level of its excellent leads. As it stands, however, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is an overblown, ponderous film that overstays its welcome by 90 minutes. If you truly want to see a great film involving the British and strippers, then rent "The Full Monty." It's a better investment of your money than this picture.

Pros

Judi Dench's hilarious performance Bob Hoskins' flustered theater manager Comedy is generally spot on.

Cons

Sways unconvincingly from Comedy to Drama Drama executed poorly Repetitive structure Film really drags when it gets "serious"